The Cloning Secret
by LizzyChanz
Summary: Ran is missing, and no one knows where she went or what happened to her. When she finally shows up again, something is horribly wrong.
1. Missing

Prologue: Missing

_***** Please note that the anime's plot in this story only goes as far as just after Bourbon confronts Subaru. I changed it to accommodate that, but because plot keeps updating in the manga/anime, I cannot continue to change my story: I'd never finish it that way. Please enjoy. *****_

_**Update: I fixed some typos.**_

* * *

It was a crisp, cold night: not a cloud in the sky. The stars twinkled happily while the moon cast its pale light on the sleeping streets of Beika Prefecture. All of the houses had their windows darkened for the night save for one. In this lit window, a small shadow quickly paced back and forth.

Kudo Shinichi was pacing in front of Mouri Kogoro's telephone, waiting for something. Of course, anyone who saw this and didn't know any better would see a restless seven-year-old boy who was probably having trouble getting to sleep, and NOT a seventeen-year-old genius trapped in a child's body, who was pacing in worry and frustration. Kogoro, himself, had fallen asleep next to the phone, his energy spent for the day.

"It's already been a week— why haven't we heard from anyone?!" Shinichi growled. He stopped pacing long enough to stare longingly at a picture frame on Kogoro's desk. "Ran… Where are you?"

His childhood friend, Mouri Ran, had mysteriously disappeared the week before. He didn't think too much of it when she didn't come home from school— it was the last day before break, and she could easily have decided to go shopping or hang out with Sonoko. When it started to get late, Shinichi began to worry, but Kogoro insisted she was probably spending the night with one of her friends and just forgot to call. When she didn't come home or call the next day, Shinichi tried to call her. No answer. He called Sonoko to see if she was with her, but Sonoko was surprised to hear Ran didn't come home. Apparently Ran wanted to go home early so she could try a new recipe she picked up. More calls were made, but no one had seen or heard from her after class let out. After the third day, Kogoro had started to accuse "that detective brat" of hiding her in his house, to which, of course, Shinichi angrily denied. "I already called Shinichi-niichan," he'd say, and eventually Kogoro ceased entertaining that idea.

The police couldn't find her, either, and begged Kogoro to stop calling them: they'd call him when she was found. So here the two were, waiting next to the phone late into the night and the early hours of the morning for a call that probably wouldn't come. By about three in the morning, Shinichi started to slow down. How long had he been pacing? He couldn't keep his eyes open, and eventually passed out on the floor next to the phone. As if feeling his exhaustion, the lights flickered and then completely burned out.

* * *

"I don't get it, Hakase," Shinichi spouted. "Everything points to kidnapping, but there's been no ransom calls, and no indication at all that she left against her will!" He slammed his hand down on the table in frustration. He had decided to let Kogoro have the phone, and traveled over to his old neighbor, Professor Agasa to vent.

"That won't do, Kudo-kun," said a nonchalant voice from the next room. A little half Japanese girl entered the room, expression as warm as an icecap. "There's no use taking your anger out on Hakase's table. We can't fix your problems any more than you can."

"Haibara…" Shinichi calmed down just a bit as he watched Haibara calmly sipping a cup of tea. He doubted he would ever fully understand what went on in that scientist's mind. "Aren't you worried at all?"

"What good would it do to worry?" she asked. "Worry clouds your mind and interferes with the efficiency of your thoughts; I assumed a master detective would know that." She stated this last bit with a slight mocking tone, but Shinichi dismissed it in favor of resuming his rant.

"What do you think it is, then?" he asked angrily. "If it wasn't kidnapping, then what?"

Haibara set down her cup after a moment of silence. "Perhaps she decided to leave."

"What?! She wou—"

"Think about it for a minute, Kudo-kun: you said so yourself that there were no signs she left against her will." Shinichi gritted his teeth.

"Ran has no reason to leave without so much as a call or a note," he growled angrily. Haibara let out a sigh as she picked her cup back up.

"Perhaps she went looking for you?" she said after taking a long sip of tea. "And perhaps she didn't call because Mouri-san would worry and complain. Or perhaps she was taken by someone who was only interested in the thrill of torture and murder." There was a long silence as Shinichi angrily stared at the shrunken scientist. He knew she was right, but he wouldn't believe that Ran was dead. Sure, there were no news reports, but so what?

"Now, Ai-kun: that's a pretty pessimistic thing to—"

"I'm being realistic. She had no reason to run away, and there haven't been any calls or letters or emails asking for ransom. With these facts, perhaps thinking she's still alive and unharmed is being too optimistic?" Haibara finished her tea and set her cup back down. "Of course, all I have is speculation, but you're no better off." Shinichi angrily stormed out of the room and looked out the window. The sun had already begun to set: had he been there that long? He had informed Kogoro he would be sleeping over at Hakase's, just in case Ran showed up there. The old man reluctantly agreed that it was possible, informing the child that he would not leave the phone.

Three days passed this way, and still there was no word, good or bad.

On the night of the fourth day, Shinichi fell asleep near the window, too exhausted to drag himself into bed. At one in the morning, he was awoken with a start as a car squealed up near the house. There was a loud thud, a car door slam, and the sound of squealing tires fleeing the scene, all before he reached the door. He dashed outside, quickly looking around the street, but the vehicle was long gone. The other two residents of the house were also awoken by the noise, but they were still quite groggily stumbling towards the den. Shinichi didn't wait for them before venturing forth in search of the object responsible for the thud he had heard.

There, thrown against the gate in front of Shinichi's house, a crumpled figure sat, head hung low. As Shinichi got closer, he identified the crumpled mass as a young man, arms tied behind his back. He was unconscious. He cautiously ventured forward until he could almost touch the stranger. Soon, he was standing right in front of the unconscious man. He seemed harmless enough with his hands bound, but that posed a big question. Why were they bound?

"Hey, mister," he said quietly, gently shaking the young man's shoulder, "Are you alright?" There was a groan as the man stirred, but he still had not lifted his head. Shinichi's touch hardened, his voice rose. "Hey, mister—" The man jumped, head snapping up. Shinichi's heart stopped. The man's eyes were wide open, mouth taped shut. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, but what had made his blood run cold was the young man's face: it was the face of Kudo Shinichi.


	2. An Impossible Situation

Chapter 1: An Impossible Situation

_**I wish that the story didn't move so fast in the beginning- I rewrote the beginning several times, but it still goes by just a bit too quickly, so I apologize.**_

_**Update: I fixed some typos.**_

* * *

There was a stunned silence as Shinichi stared at his own face. This face's eyes were open wide, scared and unfocused. The stranger started to squirm around, quickly realizing he was tied up.

"Wh-who are—" Shinichi caught his tongue, remembering that right now, he was Edogawa Conan. He recomposed himself. "Sh-Shinichi… niichan…?" he asked, feigning ignorance to see how the impostor would respond. He froze in his struggle. He looked confused. Slowly, he shook his head. In his eyes, Shinichi saw that this stranger expected him to know who he was. "…Kid…?" Another head shake. Tears were forming. So… it was someone Shinichi should know… Who else did he know with his face? Or maybe, there was a mask and the person didn't know about it. He pinched the stranger's face. Not a mask. Finally, he remembered the duct tape on the man's mouth. As he reached for it, he realized that something about this man seemed very familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on it. Not the shocking appearance of his face, but in his movements and reactions.

He carefully pulled off the duct tape, trying to make it as painless as possible. The impostor winced, a natural reaction for anyone, so why did it feel so… off? "Who are you?" he asked. The man's eyes welled up with tears, and he struggled to get his voice out.

"C-Conan-kun!" he stuttered out, the tears now rolling down his face. Shinichi froze again. It was unthinkable, impossible. But the _way_ his name was said… was how… Ran… would say it. He stared into the man's eyes. They were definitely his own eyes, but the presence behind them….

"R… Ran… neechan…?" A nod. Such a simple thing sent Shinichi reeling. He felt lightheaded and ill. "You don't… _look_ like Ran-neechan," he finally stated, attempting to fish for information. A scared and confused look on his— her face, she turned around and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the gate, and promptly fainted.

Agasa finally made it to the door, and took a step out, yawning. "Oi, Shinichi! What's going on?" Shinichi swallowed a few times, trying to recompose himself.

"Hakase… I need some help," he finally croaked out.

* * *

"Shinichi, be reasonable," Agasa whispered. "Think about what you're saying!" They had moved the supposed Ran into Agasa's living room, and Shinichi had attempted to explain the situation.

"I know it sounds crazy, but look at _me_!" Shinichi hissed back. "Isn't what happened to me supposed to be impossible?" Agasa didn't have an answer. Ran stirred on the couch, and they turned to face her.

"Wh-what's going on…?" she croaked. As soon as she said this, her eyes got wide, and she clamped a hand over her mouth. That wasn't her voice at all! She hoped she woke up from a nightmare, but she was still in one, it seemed. She looked around and recognized Agasa's house. Remembering there should be a mirror nearby, she turned and froze completely upon officially seeing her reflection. Trembling, she glanced back at the speechless Shinichi and the skeptical professor. "What's going on…?" she repeated in a shaky whisper. "Th-this is a nightmare, right?" She didn't dare raise her voice: hearing it again would only confirm her fears.

"If it is, we're in the same one," murmured Shinichi. He turned to Agasa. "You can examine her, right?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Don't argue, just do it," Shinichi hissed. Agasa rarely saw the detective so completely bothered about something. Shinichi slowly ventured to the couch.

"You're… really Ran-neechan…?" The question was pointless, as the more he watched her movements, the more he realized he couldn't ignore the terrifying truth. Ran's gaze turned downward towards her hands. She clenched her fists and nodded, a few tears escaping down her face.

"You've been missing for two weeks!" he said. "Where were you?! Can… can you remember what happened?" Ran continued to stare at her hands.

"I-I… remember leaving the school… and… and…" She shook her head. "It's no good— I-I can't remember!"

_Two weeks worth of memories…_ thought Shinichi incredulously. He glanced at the professor; he was gathering instruments together, making preparations. He turned his attention back to Ran. Her eyes were shut tight, as were her fists. Shinichi didn't think it was possible for his heart to sink lower than his toes— he was wrong.

Agasa came back with a small push-cart which carried a few familiar-looking instruments, like what you might find in a doctor's office. He stopped in front of Ran and hesitated, a skeptical expression still on his face. He cleared his throat, snapping Ran back to attention.

"Please hold out your arm— it doesn't matter which one," he said, taking a syringe in hand. She stiffly did as she was told, careful to keep her gaze averted. Shinichi numbly watched on for the next hour as Agasa pulled blood, hair, and saliva samples, and took pictures of her irises with a small modified camera resembling a penlight. By the time he had finished, his skepticism had begun to vanish, concern taking its place.

"How's it look, Hakase?" Shinichi asked. Agasa gripped the syringe in his hand.

"I-I don't know yet— I have to test these samples." Doubt was still in his mind, but the skepticism had melted away when he was taking the samples. He glanced at Ran for a moment before heading towards the lab, Haibara hot on his heels. Shinichi watched silently as the door closed behind them. Perhaps Haibara could help him find some clues. The little scientist had been keeping silent at the door of the room since Ran had arrived. Shinichi turned his attention back to the couch.

Ran was carefully studying the pattern on the rug, most likely to keep her thoughts preoccupied. He ventured back over. He was going to do it— he was going to tell her who he was: her safety was already compromised by this terrible incident. She was involved, though he was still uncertain exactly _how_. He stood for a moment to compose himself, trying to muster up the courage to say the words he'd so much wanted to say for so long. Just as he opened his mouth, Ran spoke up.

"Ne, Conan-kun?" she started. Shinichi looked up at her. Her eyes were red and tear swollen. She blearily looked down at him. "Don't… please don't tell Shinichi." She allowed a sad, hopeless smile. "I don't want him… to see me like this," she whispered, looking back down at her hands. "Please promise you won't tell him."

"… I promise…" Guilt stabbed Shinichi's heart like daggers as he said those words. He turned around so she couldn't see the tortured expression on his face. She raised her eyebrows.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, then added, "besides the obvious, I mean."

"Ah, no— it's… it's nothing," he said as he turned to smile at her. If only he'd been quicker. Perhaps it was best if he kept his mouth shut: she was already upset enough as it was. They all were, and the last thing they needed was more anxiety to torment them. He debated sitting on the couch next to her. Agasa would need some time to complete the tests, but being alone with her like this was already proving to be painful.

He went for it. She needed some sense of comfort right now, so he quietly sucked his breath in and climbed up on the couch next to her. He closed his eyes, and felt her warmth next to him. _His_ warmth… the bitter thought crossed his mind, but he shoved it down. He focused on her presence rather than the physical form. That helped a little. She was alive. That was the most important thing, wasn't it? He ventured a glance at her face. Her eyes were shut tight again. She felt his eyes on her and turned her face away. He sighed, and moved to get off the couch.

"Don't go," she whispered. "I-I don't want to be by myself, just…please don't look at me. Just for a little while," she pleaded. Shinichi's expression softened as he sat back down next to her.

"All right," he assured her, and gently put his hand on top of hers. She squeezed her hand under his, but made no moves against the touch.

* * *

Agasa quietly closed his door. Worry and doubt was etched on his face as he turned to Haibara, who had kept silently out of sight since Ran's arrival.

"What do you think, Ai-kun?" he asked, nervously adjusting his glasses. "Is that Ran-kun? How could something like this possibly be real?" Haibara stared coolly up at the professor.

"How indeed," she muttered quietly before straightening up to look at him. "At any rate, we should finish the testing. I still have some of Kudo-kun's blood so we can compare." Agasa gave her an odd look.

"Shinichi's blood?" he asked. Haibara nodded.

"Of course! This isn't merely some case of forced cosmetic surgery— her voice has changed as well. We might as well compare the two. I've got a theory I want to test." With that, the little scientist turned on her heels, and got straight to work, a tentative professor right behind her.


	3. DNA Dilemma

Chapter 2: DNA Dilemma

_**Update: I fixed some typos.**_

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that the two scientists emerged from the lab, faces grim with dark circles rimmed under their eyes. Shinichi anxiously greeted them, hope quickly disappearing as he saw their expressions.

"Shinichi," Agasa started quietly, glancing over into the next room. Ran was still asleep on the couch. "I've," he continued hesitantly, "I've never seen anything like this before…" Shinichi's brow furrowed. "The DNA… all of the testing, it's…" he shakily trailed off.

"It's what?" demanded the detective.

"It's you," coolly finished Haibara, expressionless as ever. There were a few seconds of silence.

"… What?"

"You heard me, Kudo-kun. Hakase and I have tested and retested every aspect, comparing it to yours. I had a hunch that the two samples would match." Shinichi choked at these words.

"You what?! Had a hunch?! How the hell could you possibly have foreseen that? Surgery, maybe: that's plausible enough, but why would a DNA comparison be what you immediately turn to?!" His voice had an accusing tone to it. He had expected the comparison to be with a sample of Ran's own DNA to prove that it was indeed her, but this revelation was beyond his comprehension.

"Shinichi," Agasa stepped forward, "calm down: you need to rest—"

"It was her voice," Haibara interrupted. Shinichi blinked. "No matter what kind of surgeries you do, experimental or otherwise, there's no way to make her voice sound exactly like yours. To change it to this extent requires something much more sinister than some exotic surgery. Besides, do you even know how long it takes to perform a complete sex change?" she hissed at him. It was clear his reaction irritated her. "You're a detective, so use your brain." Shinichi's head reeled, and he had to reach out and grab the arm of a chair to keep himself from collapsing.

"So she's… me…?" he asked in a shaky whisper.

"From DNA to iris patterns to fingerprints: someone has managed to turn her into you. I don't know how, but it has happened. We're dealing with something much bigger than even our own situation," replied Haibara, an unusual amount of concern in her voice.

"If that's the case, why isn't she me completely? I mean, why is she still Ran?" He couldn't quite word the question the way he wanted, though Haibara still understood the meaning.

"Memory and personality aren't based in DNA. Perhaps they haven't figured out how to do that? We're very lucky, if that's the case." Shinichi choked again, and Agasa turned an inquisitive eye to the other scientist.

"Lucky?" he asked before Shinichi could lose his temper again. She nodded.

"What do you think would have happened if her mind was also affected?" There was a moment of silence, neither man having figured out the dilemma. She continued, "We wouldn't even know it was her. For all we would know, she'd still be missing, and there would be a very convincing being who claimed to be Kudo Shinichi, with no knowledge of having ever been your missing Ran."

Shinichi was numb. _Lucky…_ he thought, looking at Ran asleep on the couch. His stomach lurched as he thought about the prospect of losing her completely. Lucky was indeed a good word for the situation. He tried to clear his throat.

"Ca-can you fix it?" he whispered shakily. The silence told him they didn't know. Agasa spoke up again.

"It will definitely take some time to figure out what happened. All we can really do is wait and see."

Haibara finally spoke up again. "I will need some of her original DNA to start looking for potential discrepancies. If I can find something, I might have an idea of where to start." She turned to Shinichi. "You'll need to get that from her house. A strand of hair will do." Shinichi shook his head to compose himself.

"I'll go get it from the old man now," he said. "I guess I'll just tell him I need some extra clothes." Agasa nodded.

"It's probably best he doesn't find out yet. His temper will get the better of him."

Shinichi scoffed. "He wouldn't believe it even if he had no temper," he muttered, and moved to grab his skateboard. He hesitated, debating on whether or not to mention anything to Ran. He decided to leave her be, and left the house.

* * *

The confrontation between Kogoro and Shinichi did not go well. The worried father had been drinking, and when he saw Shinichi come in, he demanded to know where Ran was.

"She hasn't come back yet!" Shinichi protested as he attempted to scoot past the detective to get to the other room.

"Then why the hell are you here?!" he growled; the smell of beer burned Shinichi's nose.

"I came to get some extra clothes and my backpack," he lied. "Agasa Hakase's keeping watch," he added to pacify Kogoro's drunken rage. It wasn't a complete lie: Agasa _was_ keeping an eye on things. The man relented and fell back onto the couch, looking between the phone and the door.

Shinichi quietly went into his room to grab his backpack and a few clothes, and then snuck into Ran's room to see if she had a brush lying around. He opened a drawer and found it. He was about to pick it up when he noticed something: the brush was empty. Ran had cleaned it out before she was kidnapped. He cursed her tidiness. Perhaps there was some hair on the carpet? He got down on his hands and knees to search the floor. Nothing.

He peeked around the corner to see Kogoro still watching the phone and door. Very quietly, he snuck into the bathroom to search there, and cursed again. She must have cleaned there as well, because the only evidence of usage came from Kogoro. An idea popped into his head, and he looked at the toothbrushes. His heart sank again. Ran's was missing. It was all he could do to keep from screaming out in frustration. He recomposed himself and walked back out to face Kogoro.

"I'm going back to Agasa's," he announced. Kogoro muttered an approval, and Shinichi left, feeling even more helpless than before. He decided he would ask Ran about it when he got back.

The trip back was grueling. Shinichi felt like he was moving through molasses as his brain turned to muddy thoughts full of whys and what ifs. The closer he got, the less he wanted to arrive. He couldn't think straight anymore, and a massive lump was forming in his throat. He steeled himself just before he got back, and numbly walked inside.

Ran was still on the couch, the only evidence of her having moved was a fresh position. The two scientists were out of sight, presumably in the lab working on possible explanations. He snuck past the living room to find Agasa.

"Did you tell her?" he whispered as he shut the door.

"Not yet," said the professor. "I thought she might take it better if you were here. Did you get her DNA?" Shinichi shook his head.

"No. She must have cleaned before the kidnapping. Her hairbrush is clean, and I can't even find her toothbrush," he lamented. "I was going to ask her about it after you told her." Agasa frowned, deep in thought, before nodding and heading towards the door.

"Let's tell her, then," he said, and Shinichi followed him out of the room. Ran still hadn't moved from the couch; she almost seemed like a statue. She didn't even look up when they approached her. She only responded when Shinichi climbed up next to her and gently touched her hand. Very slowly she looked up at Agasa, steeling herself when she saw his expression.

"You finished the tests?" she whispered. Agasa nodded. She sat up a little straighter. Shinichi stared at the floor.

"Your…" he cleared his throat. "Your DNA has been… altered." Ran's face went slack. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. Agasa solemnly continued. "I-I don't know how yet, but your DNA, fingerprints, and iris patterns all point to you being… Kudo… Shinichi." Shinichi ventured a glance at Ran's face. She had turned white as a sheet, her jaw clamped shut, eyes wide with horror. She seemed unlikely to say anything, so Shinichi spoke up.

"Hakase thinks he might be able to figure out something if he has some of your original DNA. Do you know where we can find some?" She swallowed and frowned down at Shinichi. "I couldn't find anything at your place," he added. She looked ready to punch herself.

"No, you wouldn't have: I thoroughly cleaned everything before I left. You would have been hard pressed to find anyone's DNA after one of my super cleaning sessions…."

"And your toothbrush?" he prompted. Ran guiltily blushed down at the floor.

"I threw it away," she said softly. At Shinichi's confused look she continued. "I always replace my toothbrush after three months. I was going to buy a new one on my way home the day that I…" her vice trailed off, and she bit her lip. After a few moments, she blinked. "Shinichi has some of my DNA, though."

"I d— he does?" She nodded. Shinichi racked his brain. Why would he have Ran's DNA?

"At least I hope he does," she amended. "I made a charm for him about seven years ago— I…" she blushed, "I snuck a lock of my hair in it, so he wouldn't be alone when his parents were away. He may have thrown it away, though." Shinichi blinked a few times, mouth hanging slightly open. They couldn't be that fortunate, could they? He knew the charm she meant: he would never admit it, but he used to sleep with it under his pillow when he had a bad day. He glanced hopefully at the professor.

"Would… Do you want to go look for it?" he asked, pretending not to know what it looks like. She nervously looked out the window at Shinichi's house.

"What… what if Shinichi comes back?" she whispered fearfully. Shinichi and Agasa exchanged guilty glances.

"He told me he's been working with Heiji-niisan and the Osakan police to find you," he lied. It wasn't a complete lie: he did have Heiji and his father searching for her. "So, so he won't be back for a while." She seemed to relax a little, but still looked fearful.

"Okay," she said under her breath. She closed her eyes and gripped the fabric of the sofa, taking in a deep breath before slowly standing up. Shinichi was halfway to the door when he realized she had stopped after only taking one step.

"What about Subaru-san? Isn't he caring for the house right now?" Shinichi stopped and blinked. He had forgotten about that. Agasa cleared his throat.

"Oh, Subaru-san left overseas on business. He told me he'd be gone for a few weeks and asked me to keep an eye on the place," said the professor sheepishly. He had quite forgotten about it in all the commotion. Shinichi glared at him for a moment before ushering a much more relaxed Ran out the door.

Once inside Shinichi's house, they began to search for the charm. To his dismay, Shinichi couldn't remember where he put it the last time he was there. He didn't keep it with his other keepsakes, but he remembered being in such a hurry that he didn't put it back in its usual spot. So he found himself searching all of the drawers in every room. Ran had gone to look in his room, and that's where he found her as she finished looking in his closet. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes and nose stung.

"He must not have kept it," Ran said, sounding a little disappointed. Shinichi desperately wanted to tell her she was wrong, but that would give him away. They both stood in silence for a few minutes, Shinichi staring miserably at the floor, and Ran carefully surveying the room. Finally, she spoke up.

"I don't think Subaru-san cleans," she said slowly. Shinichi blinked up at her, confused. Why would she start thinking about cleaning at a time like this? At his gaze, she continued, "If he doesn't clean, then nothing's been moved. If Shinichi kept the charm, it should still be here." There was a hopeful tone in her voice, determination lighting up her eyes. "Maybe we haven't looked in the right places." Shinichi stood straighter. He had forgotten how determined Ran could be. He nodded and they restored their search. Ran started to look in new places while Shinichi tried to remember the last time he was here to properly retrace his steps.

Ten minutes later, after severe concentration, Shinichi finally remembered where he put the charm. He peeked his head back into his room. Ran was searching his desk. Watching his own body move like Ran made him shudder involuntarily. He thought it felt weird to see her mope, but then she hadn't really been moving or talking. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such useless things. He glanced at his bed. He had to think of a way to "discover" the charm without looking suspicious. He stepped into the room.

"I'm tired of looking, Ran-neechan!" he childishly pouted while flopping down on the bed. Ran looked up from the desk.

"Ah— Conan-kun: you shouldn't be in someone else's bed without permission!" she exclaimed as she hurried over to stop him.

"But why not? Shinichi-niichan isn't using it!" he whined. He began to squirm as Ran tired to move him, and a well placed kick knocked the pillow onto the floor.

"Really, Conan-kun, you should know better!" scolded Ran as she lowered him to the floor and picked up the fallen pillow. As she did so, something fell out of the pillowcase. "What's that?" she asked, turning back around. As she went to pick the object up, she stopped dead in her tracks as she realized what it was. "Eh~?" Shinichi suppressed an embarrassed smile as Ran looked from the pillow to the newly discovered charm, her face slowly turning a light shade of pink.

"Is that it?" he asked innocently as she slowly picked it up. She nodded. Shinichi leaned over her shoulder as she opened the pouch to look inside. As she had said, nestled inside was a lock of brown hair. They both stared at it for a full minute, letting the moment sink in. Shinichi finally spoke up.

"We should get this to the professor," he whispered. Ran nodded, and very carefully closed the charm again. Instead of putting it in her pocket, she clutched it tightly in her hands as if she were afraid it would disappear. She gave the pillow another glance before they went back to Agasa's house.

As relieved as Shinichi was, he was so embarrassed that he had forgotten to put the charm back in its proper place. Ran now knew how much it meant to him. Was it a bad thing that she knew? Not necessarily, but now she was going to think about him even more; and the more she thinks about him, the more worried she's going to be that he'll come back and see her in this state. He shivered. She would have to be told sooner or later, and he was _not_ looking forward to that conversation.

Ran almost seemed reluctant to give the charm to the professor, but after hesitating, rationale won out. She sat back down on the couch, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she stared out the window. Shinichi followed Agasa to the door.

"What took so long?" whispered Agasa.

"I forgot where I put it last time: I ended up having to retrace... my…" He stopped talking and snapped his head back to the living room.

"Ne, Hakase," he said slowly. Agasa raised an eyebrow. "You don't suppose that if we got Ran to retrace her steps from that day, that she'd remember what happened?"

"Perhaps. It's certainly worth a shot, at any rate. It's going to take some time to figure out exactly what happened so we can attempt to undo it. Also," he added, glancing into the living room, "I'm not sure how much sulking Ran-kun can take. If she doesn't start doing something to keep her mind occupied, she's going to get depressed." Haibara opened the door just as Agasa finished speaking.

"I'll take that," she said, grabbing the charm from the professor and shutting the lab door before anyone could react.

The two looked at each other and then back at Ran. Shinichi took a deep breath and ventured back to the couch she was sitting on. He let go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding before entering into "child mode." Stepping up to stand right in front of her, in the most syrupy sweet, inquisitive voice he could muster, he began.

"Ran-neechan?" She looked back from the window, snapping her head down to observe the boy, all previous thoughts temporarily forgotten. Her face assumed a questioning look. "You know how when you lose something, you're always told to retrace your steps?" he asked as childishly as he could. She slowly nodded, not quite getting his meaning. "What if you went back to the last place you remember being? Perhaps it will help you?" After a few moments, Ran replied.

"We could try it," she said slowly. "I can't think of anything else that would work… But what if someone sees me?" She looked mortified by the thought. Shinichi swallowed an exasperated sigh, and reminded himself that she was probably more uncomfortable with the situation than he was. He had, after all, gone through a similar phase when he first shrank. The only difference was that he was able to stifle his discomfort to get things done. He really couldn't understand why it wasn't that simple for her.

"Just… let's just get there. We need to try something, and worrying won't do us much good," he all but snapped. Ran bit her lip at the sharpness of his tone.

"You're right, Conan-kun," she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry for troubling you." She stood up and followed Shinichi to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and the two of them started off to the high school to attempt to uncover some clues there.


	4. The Invisible Shot

Chapter 3: The Invisible Shot

The walk to the high school was a quiet one. Ran kept her hands in her pockets and her gaze on the ground in front of her. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line, concentrating on the task at hand. Shinichi felt slightly guilty for snapping at her, but reasoned it was the only way to get her out of the house. He glanced up at her. A part of him reminisced at walking to school together, but the unfortunate circumstances kept him from enjoying it.

Relief swept over both of them when they finally arrived at the building. Break was still in session, so the only people inside were staff trying to complete tasks before their deadlines. Shinichi turned to Ran.

"Do you remember what you did here?" he asked. She took a moment to collect herself before looking around the outside of the school.

"I was talking to Sonoko…" she started, looking from the doors to the sidewalk. She started slowly following the sidewalk as she continued. "I wanted to try out a new recipe one of the teachers gave me…" She stopped after a few yards and turned to the street. "Sonoko had to leave, and her car was waiting there…" As she trailed off, she began walking again in the opposite direction of her house. Shinichi recognized it as the route she liked to take to get to the supermarket. She suddenly stopped in front of an alley, and Shinichi almost fell over to keep from bumping into her. Straightening his shirt, he stared into the alley and then up at her.

"Did you go in there?" A nod. "Why? You've never gone that way before."

"I thought I would try a shortcut," came the reply in a whisper. Her face had gone white, eyes wide with terror. She pointed to the far side of the small street. "There was a van there," she whispered. Shinichi slowly followed her in.

"What kind of van?" he asked.

"I-I don't know… a red one?" was her unsure reply. They were halfway in, and she looked panicked now. She was hyperventilating. Shinichi didn't notice right away because he was looking to where she pointed.

"Was it a company van?" he asked, attempting to narrow down the possibilities. He walked over to see if he could spot any tire tracks. Ran remained rooted in place, trembling.

"N-no. It was a mini van," she whispered. Hearing how shaky her voice was, Shinichi turned around to find her clutching her head. Her muscles stiff, she slowly crouched into a ball as Shinichi bolted towards her, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he pressed, peering into her face. She was terrified. "What happened?" he demanded, trying to sound as soft as possible. Though his face was right in front of hers, she didn't see him. She was reliving her abduction. "Tell me what happened," he repeated.

"He came out of the car," she whispered. "H-h-he… he had a gun… I tried to run…" She gasped loudly and squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body trembling. Shinichi's body froze, eyes widening.

"_What?!_" He shook her shoulder a few times. Were you shot?!" he asked frantically, but she wouldn't answer. "Oi, Ran, try to remember! Did he shoot you? Where? What did he look like? C'mon, answer me!" He waited for her to respond, but she couldn't say any more. Shinichi's grip on her shoulder slipped when he realized he wouldn't get anything more from her, but this new information was certainly enough for the moment.

_So she was shot_, he inferred, looking around the alley. He quietly left Ran's side when he spotted a dark stain on the concrete. _If she was shot, then it would explain why a karate champion couldn't fight back…_ he thought to himself. _But… a gunshot wouldn't wouldn't heal in two weeks, and Ran doesn't seem to have any severe injuries._ He looked back at her, still cowering near the wall, eyes still closed. Turning back to the stain, he pulled a small flask of water and his handkerchief out of his pocket, and proceeded to wet the stain, kneeling down to mop some of it up with the handkerchief. When he was finished, he hurried back to Ran. She was standing back up now, taking in big, shaky breaths. Her eyes were still closed, but it looked like she was starting to calm down.

"Ran-neechan," he said softly, placing a hand on her arm. She stirred a little, opening her red, swollen eyes, still breathing hard. "I'm sorry. You don't have to remember anymore; let's just go back to Hakase's okay?" Ran nodded and wiped her eyes. Taking care not to look at the scene, she followed closely behind Shinichi, trying to compose herself.

She straightened up as they exited the alley. Her breathing was still shaky but it wasn't as heavy as before. Suddenly, Shinichi stopped and whirled around to look up at her.

"Hey, Ran-neechan? Do you think you would remember the van if you saw it again?" he asked excitedly. She blinked, a little surprised at the sudden question, then slowly nodded.

"Y… yes… yes, I think I would," she replied. "But how are you going to find it?" Running to the corner, he pointed to something across the street. There, facing the alley, almost hidden from view, was a small traffic camera. Grinning for the first time in two weeks, Shinichi excitedly bounded back to her side.

"There's one on both ends!" he exclaimed happily. Ran whipped around to view the other end of the alley. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god," she breathed. Looking down at Shinichi, she asked, "How will we get the footage, though?"

"We'll send an anonymous tip to the police, and they'll show us the footage when they find it," he replied as he grabbed her wrist and started pulling her towards the house.

"Huh? Why will they show us the footage?" she asked, stumbling to keep up.

"Assuming you were taped on that camera, it should be a key clue to the case. Naturally, the police will show it to your dad and ask a bunch of standard questions."

"Heeeeh… You sure know a lot about this kind of stuff," she commented thoughtfully.

"It's because I watch so many crime shows," he nervously stammered. He surmised she was too distracted to notice, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"More importantly," Ran began again, "how are we going to tell Inspector Megure? What did you mean by 'an anonymous tip'?"

"Oh, that. Well, the police aren't likely to listen to a child- especially one who's been pestering them so much since you disappeared," he said a little sheepishly.

"Not even you? They've never had an issue before," she commented thoughtfully. Then she blinked a few times. "Wait, you were pestering them?!"

"What was I supposed to do? You were missing for two weeks! Your dad was pestering them as well—" He stopped when he saw the look on her face. "Ran-neechan…?" She shook her head.

"Sorry, it's nothing. Not important right now," she replied almost bitterly. "What is important is notifying the police. You said anonymous, but won't they be more likely to ignore a suspicious tip like that?" They continued walking.

"Ah… you're probably right. I could call Shinichi-niichan and—" Shinichi's arm was yanked back as Ran swung him around to face her.

"You absolutely can NOT tell Shinichi!" she hissed.

"But—"

"No buts! If you tell him there's a clue here, he'll come back straight away!" She was visibly upset by the thought.

_I'm here now_, Shinichi thought with some annoyance.

"_You_ could tell them," he offered. Ran's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You could pretend to be Shinichi-niichan," he elaborated.

"T-there's no way," she stammered. She seemed even more upset by this idea.

"Well, we have to tell them somehow. They won't even pick up the phone for me anymore." Ran stared down at the small detective. Just how many times had he called them?

"What about Agasa Hakase?" she offered. Shinichi shook his head, and let out a nervous laugh.

"They won't answer his number, either. I, uh, I might've started using his phone when they stopped answering mine," he guiltily mumbled. He glanced up at her. She was giving him a hard blank stare. He could tell she was trying to decide whether or not she should be angry at this news. Finally she let out an irritated sigh.

"Let's just get back to Agasa's, and we can decide what to do from there," she said moodily, and the two once again resumed walking.

"Ne, Conan-kun?" she started after a few minutes of walking in silence. "How is he?" Shinichi looked up at her. "My father?" she asked quietly. Shinichi looked back at the ground.

"Very worried about you," he replied in an equally soft tone. She lowered her head, and they both walked the remainder of the way in silence.

As they reached Shinichi's street, the detective sighed and pulled out his phone.

"I guess I'll have to call Takagi-keiji— if he'll answer," he said. Ran frowned.

"Doesn't Takagi-keiji work in the Criminal Investigations division?"

"Ahh… Yeah it's true he isn't involved directly with missing persons, but he's the only one who's likely to answer the phone for me. He'll do just about anything you ask, too, so…"

"Is that so?" Ran said, giving Shinichi a disapproving stare.

"Ahaha… Well this is important, so…" He took out his phone and quickly dialed the number, turning away from her gaze. Takagi picked up after several rings.

"Didn't I ask you to stop calling me, Conan-kun?" came the policeman's agitated voice. "I already said I'd call back if I got any new information!"

"Ahh— actually, I might have found some new info."

"Really? What is it?"

"You'll need to check some traffic footage."

* * *

"Is that true Shinichi?!" exclaimed Agasa Hakase. Shinichi shushed him while glancing into the next room. Ran had resumed sitting on the couch and was fidgeting in her seat. It looked like she didn't hear them, so they continued talking.

"Based on what Ran told me, there's a high chance the culprit's van was recorded leaving the scene. If the cameras were working that day, then it should be enough evidence for the Criminal Investigation Division to take over the search." Agasa frowned at those words.

"But isn't Ran-kun a karate champion? Shouldn't she have been able to get away from them?"

"About that— I think they may have shot her. She wouldn't say much, but based on her reaction and the stain I found on the concrete," he said as he took out the handkerchief, "I'd say it's highly likely." He handed the small piece of evidence to the professor. "If we test that against her hair, we'll know for certain."

"That's impossible— she's not in any kind of pain… Well, _physical_ pain, anyway," said the professor looking towards Ran. "Gunshot wounds don't just disappear."

"Now that she's calmed down a bit, I can ask her about it properly," said Shinichi as he also looked towards her. "Anyway, get that sample to Haibara and see if she can match it. There might be some contamination, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't rained at all…" The professor nodded and began to head down to the lab while Shinichi made his way back to the once teen-aged girl. A light pink dusted her cheeks, but he didn't notice this at first.

"Ne, Ran-neechan," he started. Ran's head snapped up. Her brow was slightly bent like she was worried about something, but Shinichi dismissed this as residue from the day's events. "Can you remember it properly now?" he asked. "Of what happened that day?"

Ran slowly nodded, but didn't volunteer any information. She seemed to be slightly distracted, but Shinichi pressed forward anyway.

"You were shot at?" he prompted.

"… Yes…" She sounded a bit unsure. "I… I was definitely shot, but…"

"Where?" he asked. She pointed to the right side of her stomach just as the professor reentered the room.

"I-it was here," she said quietly. "It definitely happened, but… I don't… feel anything now…" she trailed off. She couldn't have dreamt it, right? The professor cleared his throat.

"Would you mind if I took a look at the area?" he asked, stepping forward. She bit her lip, nodded, and then reached for the hem of her shirt. She hesitated, took a deep breath, and slowly lifted the edge up to reveal a small portion of her stomach, her face turning several shades of pink as she did so. Curious, Shinichi leaned forward with the professor to view the spot in question. Agasa frowned, probing the skin slightly.

"Are you sure it was here?" he asked, maneuvering to see her back as well. Ran looked down, a surprised look on her face.

"No way!" she said, craning her neck to look at her back. "I was definitely… it… it went right through! How?!" Indeed, the skin on her stomach was as smooth and clean as if she had just been born. While her shirt was raised, Shinichi snuck a look at the other side of her stomach. There was nothing there, either. He absently placed a hand over his own scar, lost in thought.

_I guess scars don't transfer, huh? Makes sense_, he thought to himself. _But where did hers go…?_ He frowned as he stared at her scar-less stomach. His eyes moved up slightly to look at her shirt, and his frown deepened. He glanced at her pants, too.

_Those aren't her clothes…_ Naturally, Ran's clothes would be too small on a male body, but they didn't look like any Shinichi owned, either. Which meant the culprit bought them.

"Ahh! Conan-kun, what—?!" exclaimed Ran when Shinichi jumped onto the couch and grabbed the back of her shirt collar.

"Hanes…" he murmured, looking at the label. Admittedly, he knew nothing about clothes, so he asked, "Ran-neechan, do you know this brand? Hanes?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it looks like the culprit may have dressed you. I thought maybe we could create a suspect list based on this…" Immediately, Ran looked down at her clothes. She hadn't realized she wasn't wearing her clothes. They all had taken it for granted until now, and the clothing was so inconspicuous that even Shinichi hadn't noticed it at first.

"Mmmm… I'm afraid your suspect list will be very long," she said after a moment. "This is just a regular cotton shirt. You can buy this brand almost anywhere." Shinichi let out a dejected sigh.

_No good, huh? The jeans are probably the same…_ he thought. _So our only clue is the red minivan._ He blinked. _Why is it a minivan? There are many more capable vehicles, so why bother with a minivan?_ He glanced back at Ran's attire. _So they won't stand out, maybe?_

While Shinichi was lost in his thoughts, Agasa made one last examination of the spot in question, shook his head, and took a few notes before leaving the room again. Shinichi absently looked up to watch the professor leave before turning his attention back to Ran. She had that worried expression again, and her face was flushed. She'd begun to rock back and forth slightly. Shinichi blinked a few times.

"Ran-neechan?" Ran's head snapped in his direction. She almost looked scared.

"C-Conan-kun… I-I don't think I can hold it much longer, but I don't know what I should do~" she stammered.

"What's wrong?" he asked, apprehension rising. Her face turned beet red.

"I-I… really have to use the restroom."


	5. Happy Mask

Chapter 4: Happy Mask

A few days passed, and they were still no closer to figuring out what had happened to Ran. Shinichi was starting to get anxious. every time he saw her, his gut twisted painfully, so he'd adopted the habit of only looking past her, or at her shoulder. It didn't help much, though, so he avoided her whenever possible. On the third day, the professor pulled Shinichi aside.

"I don't mind you staying here," he said quietly, "but won't it start to look suspicious if Kudo Shinichi doesn't stay in his own house?" Shinichi gave him a flat look.

"Kudo Shinichi is supposed to be dead, remember?" He crossed his arms. "Besides, I haven't been staying at my house for months."

"Yes," said Haibara, coming quietly into the room, making him jump. "But someone who looks like you is actively staying next door. People will start to notice, and unwanted attention will be pointed at us." She fingered the edge of her jacket. "It might be better for Ran-san to stay in your house, to keep curious eyes away. It won't look strange, so people won't talk. And if people don't talk, the crows can't hear about it." She gave him a sharp look. "You're too distracted If you haven't figured that out." The hairs on Shinichi's neck bristled at the insinuation.

"I'm not—" He stopped, letting out a sigh. "…Fine. What about Subaru-san?"

"You're the one who put him there, remember? That's your problem."

Shinichi sighed again and nodded. Even though he suspected Subaru— or rather, Akai— already knew who he was, he also knew the man wouldn't ask any questions unless it affected his safety. Ran would be safe there, even when he came back from wherever it was he went.

"I'll tell her this evening," he said finally. Haibara gave him a measuring look, but only nodded in approval, saying nothing. There was a ringing at the door, and Agasa Hakase left to answer it. A big commotion at the door had Shinichi wincing.

"Ahh! Conan-kun! Ai-chan! Why aren't you ready? We'll be late for school!" Ayumi's shrill voice grated on his ears.

_Crap, I forgot… School's back in session… _he thought absently.

"We won't be late," Haibara reassured her, heading over to the doorway. "You came a bit early, after all."

The Detective Boys pooled into the house to wait for the two shrunken teens to prepare. Ayumi looked curiously into the living room where Ran was resting. Her brows pinched together, and she whispered something to Genta and Mitsuhiko, who looked over at Ran as well.

"Isn't that the niisan that lives next door?" asked Mitsuhiko quietly as Shinichi approached. "What's he doing over here? Shouldn't he be in school?"

"He looks really sick," said Ayumi, a worried lilt to her voice. Shinichi glanced at the object of their discussion and let out a nervous laugh.

"He's just really worried about Ran-neechan, since we haven't found her yet," he said, ushering them out the door. "He's taking time off from school to help with the investigation." It wasn't exactly a lie. Mitsuhiko nodded enthusiastically.

"With him looking, they're bound to find her in no time."

_I wish it was that simple_, Shinichi thought as Haibara sent an amused smile his way.

School seemed to last forever. Shinichi kept glancing at the clock, waiting for when they could get out and go back home. He was so distracted that he was genuinely shocked when the teacher reprimanded him for spelling a simple kanji wrong. It didn't help that Haibara seemed to find this all amusing. She kept sending cynical smiles his way anytime he slipped up during class. When the bell finally rang, he couldn't get out quickly enough, much to the chagrin of the detective boys.

"Conan-kun, why are you in such a hurry?" asked Mitsuhiko as Shinichi flung open his shoe locker and snatched his shoes out of it.

"I've gotta get back to the professor's," he said without looking at them.

"Why don't we all go?" asked Ayumi eagerly. "We haven't hung out in so long!" Before Shinichi could snap at her, Haibara calmly spoke up.

"We can hang out tomorrow," she said. At Ayumi's distress, she added, "Agasa Hakase worked too hard yesterday, so he can't chaperon us while we're there."

"What about that Shinichi-niichan? He's there, right?" Haibara shook her head.

"He's busy looking for Ran-san, remember? He was only there today to check in with the professor for possible updates." It was believable enough, so the kids grudgingly dropped the issue. They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

"… Thanks," said Shinichi quietly. Haibara turned away from him.

"Even if I enjoy seeing you uncomfortable, it wouldn't do for them to talk to her and realize something was off," she said. Shinichi sighed.

"A simple 'You're welcome' would've sufficed," he grumbled. She smiled, but didn't respond.

When they got back to the professor's, before going in, Haibara grabbed Shinichi's arm.

"Remember," she said, "that you must convince that girl that she needs to stay at your house," Shinichi yanked his arm from her, scowling.

"I know that," he hissed. "What do you think I was doing all day?"

"Oh, were you doing something besides making errors today? I hadn't noticed." She smiled again, and it felt like spiders crawling down Shinichi's back. He shoved past her and opened the door, still trying to think how best to approach Ran, flipping through the ideas he'd come up with during class. He settled on one and headed for the living room, spotting Ran on the couch as he rounded the corner. He took a deep breath and ventured into the room.

"Ran-neechan?" he asked sweetly. She looked up.

"Oh, Conan-kun. What is it?" He frowned a little bit as he searched for the words.

"I was just thinking," he said as innocently as possible, "that staying here might not be so good for you." Her eyebrows shot up.

"But why? Where else can I go?" Here it comes.

"You could stay at Shinichi-niichan's house."

"_What_?!"

"Think about it," he said before she could protest. "You look like Shinichi-niichan right now, right?" a nod. "So," he continued, "the neighbors are gonna notice someone that looks like Shinichi-niichan staying in someone else's house. They might call him, and ask why; which undoubtedly will bring him back here to see what's going on." Ran stared at him in horror, terribly conflicted at staying in his house or risking him coming back to see her like this, despite the fact that he was here now. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I—" she choked. "W-what…" Her eyes teared up as she struggled with the decision. Finally, she slumped forward in defeat.

"…Alright," she said quietly. The guilt clawed painfully at Shinichi's chest.

"I'll stay there, too," he offered. She sent him a grateful look, brow still bent with worry.

"Does Agasa Hakase think so, too?" she asked. He nodded. She sighed and got up from the couch and followed him back to the door.

"It'll be better than sleeping on the couch," said Shinichi in an attempt to cheer her up. She nodded as they walked next door. She hesitated at the gate, looking up at his house, before following him inside. He led her to one of the guest rooms. He'd played with the idea of making her stay in his room so Subaru wouldn't get too suspicious when he got back, but he knew she'd flat out refuse, no matter the circumstances.

"You can use Shinichi-niichan's pajamas," he suggested. "He won't know if we clean them and put them back before we fix everything." Her face went pale, the dark circles under her eyes seeming to grow darker, but she didn't protest. He left her there to get used to it while he ventured into his room to fish out pajamas for the both of them.

He looked around his old bedroom and sighed. He wouldn't' be able to sleep in here. He contented himself on actually getting to stay in his own house, even though it brought back the ache of longing to be himself again. He shook his head and strode over to the closet.

He pulled out a pair of pajamas he'd bought just before the unfortunate day at Tropical Land, his chest tightening. He never got to wear them, which meant Ran hadn't seen them. He hoped she'd feel better about that. He pressed further into the closet, looking for a box of his children's clothes. Most of them were at the detective agency. He did find a box of his eight-year-old clothes. The PJs would be a bit big, but they'd fit well enough. He looked back at his room one last time before leaving for the other free guest room.

He quickly changed into his pajamas, feeling a bit nostalgic as he looked at the Gomera print in the mirror. He glanced at the sleepwear on the bed, not quite ready to face Ran again, but he pressed on anyway. He grabbed them and headed to the room he left Ran in.

She was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, her head buried in the knees she hugged to her chest. She looked up when she heard him come in. No tears. Good. He wasn't sure he could handle her crying right now. She eyed the pajamas in his hands.

"Those are Shinichi's?" she asked as he handed them to her.

"They were in his room," he said. She held them up. They were red: her favorite color. She blushed a bit.

"Goodnight, Ran-neechan," he said as he turned to leave.

"Don't you want something for supper?"

"Ahaha— I'm not really hungry, so I'm just gonna go to bed, okay?"

"O-okay. Good… goodnight, Conan-kun," she said quietly. He closed the door, wishing she would be in a better mood tomorrow. It was painful watching her mope, especially since he couldn't do anything for her. He went back to the other guest room, turned out the lights, and climbed into bed. He stared up at the ceiling for three hours, eyes stinging, before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Shinichi woke the next morning to the heavenly aromas of eggs and bacon and… was that coffee? He got up quickly. Ran never allowed him to have coffee in the morning— not while he was Conan, at least. She was either in a really good mood or she was so down she wasn't thinking properly. A trip to the kitchen revealed the former, a strange contrast to the last few days that had his head reeling from the virtual whiplash.

"Good morning, Conan-kun," she chirped. It sounded odd with his voice.

"… Good morning," he said slowly, unsure if he was walking into a mine field. "You seem… happy. Good dream?" She laughed, a nervous sounding thing, and her brows pinched together just a bit.

"Not really, she replied. "I just— I just needed some time to wrap my head around things. Might as well be useful, you know?" He nodded slowly. He could understand that. Plus, she probably didn't like the idea of making him worry— she never did. She was probably embarrassed from being so vulnerable in front of him. He had to admit it was better than watching her constantly trying not to cry.

He slid into a chair at the table where a fresh breakfast awaited him. He looked around, but only saw the one plate.

"Ran-neechan, aren't you going to eat?" he asked. She smiled apologetically.

"I already ate. I'm sorry for not waiting for you." He shook his head and greedily eyed the coffee cup she set in front of him, choosing not to say anything lest she change her mind. Coffee now, contemplate later.

After he finished breakfast, Ran quickly ushered him back to his guest room.

"Get dressed, Conan-kun: you're friends will be at Agasa Hakase's very soon," she said. He nodded, and watched her leave with some confusion. She'd done a complete 180 from yesterday. Breakfast wasn't a fluke. He hid a small frown in his shirt as he pulled it over his head. Ran was pretty resilient. He wouldn't have to spend the whole school day worrying, but…. He finished getting dressed and peered into the kitchen where Ran was washing dishes.

"Ran-neechan?"

"Hmm?"

"Ayumi-chan and the others wanted to play today, but I can come back here instead, if you want." She smiled at him.

"You go play with your friends. I don't mind. Besides, it's been a while since I cleaned Shinichi's house, so I expect I'll be busy all day. Have fun at school." She turned back to the dishes, leaving Shinichi to nervously keep looking at her over his shoulder as he headed out.

Haibara greeted him at the professor's door, expectantly glancing over at the Kudo house.

"Well, how'd she take it?" she asked. At his expression, she added, "Is she okay?" He nodded.

"She was terrible yesterday," he started slowly. "I expected that. But this morning…." He shook his head. "She's acting like there's nothing wrong."

"Then maybe nothing's wrong. What did she say?"

"That she just needed some time to get used to it."

"And you don't believe her?" she asked inquisitively. The doorbell rang.

"It's not that," he said as she went to answer the door. "I just can't believe she's okay so quickly. I guess I shouldn't worry."

"Hmm." Haibara opened the door and greeted the children, and they all left for school. While Ayumi was happily chattering away about last night's Yaiba episode, Haibara slowed her pace to talk to Shinichi.

"You said you shouldn't worry, so why are you?"

"Well, I wasn't at first, but…"

"But?"

"Something didn't quite feel right about the way she smiled."

"Isn't that just because she did it with your face?"

"… Maybe that's it." He glanced at the kids and lowered his voice. "Did you find anything yet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm not even sure what I'm looking for," she admitted. "We just keep running tests for different aspects. Everything still comes up you." She sighed. "Just for the sake of it, I ran a comparison between the hair lock and her current DNA."

"And?"

"And nothing. It's still running. I expect it'll come back negative, though."

"… Still running?" he asked incredulously. "Doesn't that mean there's something wrong with your equipment?"

"I guess there must be. I'll see if I can fix it later."

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Mitsuhiko, irritated. Ayumi turned to face them as well, a discontented look on her face.

"Conan-kun and Ai-chan are always sharing secrets," she complained. Shinichi held up his hands in an attempt to appease them.

"Ahh— no, it's just—"

"Edogawa-kun downloaded something weird on my computer, so now it's acting funny," said Haibara calmly, walking ahead of them. He immediately played along.

"I said I was sorry!"

The children appeared to be pacified by the fake quarrel, noting that Conan was such a trouble maker, before walking the rest of the way to school as they resumed their Masked Yaiba conversation. Shinichi sighed and began the school day, pushing any worries he might have had aside.

When school let out, the children argued about what they should do.

"I think we should play soccer," insisted Mitsuhiko.

"Or we could go to Agasa Hakase's and play games and eat cake," said Genta.

"You're always thinking about food, Genta-kun," said Ayumi. "But I like both ideas. What about you two?" Haibara spoke up before Shinichi could think of something to say.

"Since Ran-san hasn't turned up yet," she said gently, "I think we should stick to the professor's house, just in case." They all nodded in approval.

"Play games it is, then," said Mitsuhiko with a sigh. "I suppose we'll have to practice soccer some other time." Shinichi smiled, remembering when they weren't the least bit interested in his favorite sport.

When they got to Agasa's house, Shinichi glanced at his house. There was movement behind one of the windows, so he figured Ran was still cleaning. Normally, she'd be done by now. He'd ask her later, once he could get away from the children without them getting angry. They went inside and played games for a few hours, laughing and eating Hakase's food. Haibara occasionally slipped into her lab in the guise of going to the restroom. Each time she came back, she wordlessly shook her head at Shinichi. They still had nothing.

When the children finally left, Shinichi sighed dejectedly. "Nothing at all?" he asked. He didn't need to elaborate.

"Nothing at all. The samples came back negative, as I thought they would. I'm still not sure why my equipment froze up like that— it's working fine, now." Shinichi hummed.

"I guess I'll check on Ran. She planned to clean all day, but it usually doesn't take that long for her." Haibara looked thoughtful, but waved him away without a word, slipping back into the lab. He sighed again and left for his house. His mouth hung open in shock when he got inside.

Everything was so clean, it practically sparkled. He spotted Ran, finishing up scrubbing the floor on the far side of the library. She'd never done anything like this before.

"Ran-neechan? What is all this?" She looked up from her spot on the floor, wiping some sweat off her forehead.

Oh, Conan-kun! Ah, this? I found some mold in the kitchen and thought, 'better safe than sorry.' Did you know there was mildew in here? That's not very healthy for little seven-year-old lungs."

"You…" He was lost for words, looking around at a cleanliness a museum would be envious of. He ventured over to her, careful to choose patches of floor that were mostly dry. "You're all sweaty," he commented, finding his voice.

"I… I am, aren't I?" Her face fell slightly. "I wasn't really thinking. I'll… I'll have to take a bath." Her brows knitted together, and her face flushed dark red at the thought. Shinichi also felt a blush creeping up the back of his neck.

"Y-you were gonna have to do it eventually," he stammered, more to justify it to himself than to her. He wasn't too keen on Ran seeing his naked body, and from her reaction, neither was she. She sat back, looking fretfully up at the ceiling. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Ah!" She looked back at him. "I could take a shower— that way, I won't have to look at anything." She smiled, nodding to herself in approval. The idea made Shinichi feel less apprehensive as well.

"Good idea. You'll have to wear Shinichi-niichan's clothes." At her expression, he quickly added, "Only— only for a little bit: this weekend, we can go shopping for some separate clothes for you." Her shoulders relaxed, and she slowly looked down at her clothes.

"Alright," she said, not looking up at him. "Alright, we… we can do that." She got up slowly, moving uncertainly up the stairs towards Shinichi's room. Shinichi followed, noting the brilliantly polished banisters. She'd never cleaned this furiously before, but now he was remembering that she usually did her especially big cleaning sessions when she needed to blow off steam.

He regarded her as she rummaged around his dresser and closet, looking for clothes she didn't associate too closely with him. This proved to be very difficult: he didn't own too many clothes as he didn't put too much stock in his appearance. Everywhere she looked was met with painful memories.

Sighing heavily, she settled on the navy sweater with the plaid collar he'd worn at the aquarium and a light pair of jeans. He watched as she nervously headed towards the bathroom, hesitating in its doorway. When she closed the door, his knees finally buckled and he crumpled to the floor, still staring at the bathroom door.

He trusted her not to look, but… accidents happen. He tried to console himself. _If she does see_, he thought, _we'll be even for the Benkei Onsen incident_. His face and ears burned at the memory, and he put a hand up to his chest in attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart. He breathed out a chuckle— a shaky wisp of a sound. It would be fine.

After a while, he heard Ran's voice drift over from the bathroom.

"Conan-kun? Come here for a minute. I found something strange." Shinichi frowned and headed over to the bathroom. He cautiously opened the door, only to find her partially dressed; the jeans were on, and it looked like she was about to put on the sweater, but stopped before she pulled it over her head. He frowned.

"You found something weird?" he asked. She nodded, coming closer, lowering the sweater a bit to reveal part of her chest.

"Here," she said, pointing to the right of her heart, her face flushing again. His frown deepened as he leaned forward to look at the spot. There was a perfect ring shaped scar there, that looked as if it came from a burn, about the size of an American silver dollar. He reached out to touch it and she immediately recoiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest to cover it.

"What are you embarrassed about?" he asked. "You aren't a girl anymore,so—" He clamped his mouth shut as he realized what he said. The glare she gave him looked so betrayed. _Oops…_

"W-what I mean is," he stammered, "y-you're going to have to show it to Agasa Hakase, whether you're embarrassed or not." Her expression softened back into melancholy.

"I… You're right." She pulled the sweater over her head. "I should probably do that now, huh?"

"I'll come with you," he said, hoping she'd forget his earlier comment. "I wanna know what Hakase thinks about it." She smiled down at him and nodded, her earlier discomfort forgotten. They headed for Agasa's house to tell him about the strange scar.


	6. Dressed for Death

**Chapter 5: Dressed for Death**

**So sorry for the delay: as it turns out, clues are hard, and I'm terrible at writing murder cases. Try to enjoy, anyway.**

* * *

The professor didn't know what to make of the scar on Ran's chest. On closer inspection, inside the ring were three evenly spaced puncture marks. He inferred it might be a clue to whatever procedure was used on her, but it was only a guess, so they were no better off than when they started. He thanked her for showing him, and informed them he would attempt to form plausible theories from the new information. Then he disappeared back into his lab, presumably to tell Haibara the new update, leaving Ran and Shinichi alone again.

"Well, now that that's done," said Ran brightly, "what would you like for supper, Conan-kun?"

"I was thinking I'd just have rice," he said. He didn't want to put too much of a strain on her since she'd worked all day.

"If you want rice, I could make curry," she offered. He held up his hands.

"No, really. You're probably tired, right?" He thought back to how shiny everything at his house looked. She shook her head.

"I'm fine. Curry is easy, anyway, and growing boys need more than just rice." She headed for the door. "Unless you just don't want curry?" He knew he couldn't argue with her, so he relented.

"Curry's fine." She smiled at him and they went back to his house. She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Shinichi alone in the library to ponder about the scar. He couldn't come up with any feasible reason for it to be there other than that it somehow had to do with how she got this way. He sighed. He'd been sighing a lot lately.

When supper was ready, Ran called him into the dining room. Once again, there was only one plate. At his questioning stare, Ran smiled uncomfortably.

"I'll eat in a little bit," she promised. "I've got a few more things to take care of in the kitchen, first."

"If you're sure," he said slowly. "I could wait for you." She shook her head.

"It's okay: go ahead and eat, Conan-kun. The sooner you're done, the sooner you can finish your homework." He hid a dry smile. His kiddie homework was the least of his concerns right now, but he didn't voice this train of thought. Instead, he innocently chirped an "okay," and dug into his dinner halfheartedly while he continued to draw up and discard theories.

When he finished, he brought his dishes into the kitchen where Ran was busily scrubbing away at a large skillet. He handed her his plate and spoon, then looked around. There was another plate of curry rice next to the stove, presumably waiting there for Ran to finish washing the other dishes. He thought it a bit odd that she was doing dishes before eating, but since she told him she would eat later, he didn't protest. Instead, he told her goodnight and headed for bed.

Once again, he lay awake for several hours, staring numbly up at the ceiling while all his discarded theories danced around in his head, taunting him. Then he had a thought. He sat up slowly, staring at the wall now as the vague idea turned into a single solid question. _Just how many people has this happened to?_

He turned the question over and over, wondering why he hadn't asked it before. Probably because something like this would've been on the news, unless, of course, any others were also keeping quiet like they were. Just to be sure, he unplugged his phone and did a quick search. "People missing for two weeks turn up claiming to be a different person." When that didn't pan out, he deleted the last part. 'People missing for two weeks turn up." He got a bunch of kidnapping stories. He added, "with no memory of missing period." There were maybe one or two articles about missing persons with amnesia. He growled in frustration. He checked the time. He couldn't call Takagi, but he might be able to get away with texting Heiji a question as long as he didn't give out too many details. He wanted help, but he didn't want the detective of the west poking his nose in on this. At least not yet.

Carefully choosing his words, he messaged Heiji, asking him to look into missing people who turned up again later with no memory of the time they were missing. He sighed when almost immediately, he got a call.

"Hattori?" he asked wryly. "I texted you for a reason."

"Kudo, did something happen? What's with this weird text? Does it have something to do with neechan?" He was pushy as usual, but he did sound genuinely concerned.

"No, it's just… wishful thinking, I guess? I had the thought, and I just wanted to cover all possibilities, that's all. Like what if she does turn up with lost time?" It wasn't exactly a lie. She _had _turned up, just like that. He heard a sigh on the other end, the sound crackling a bit in the receiver.

"Damn, ya got my hopes up," said the Osakan. Shinichi smiled wryly.

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Don't worry, I can at least look into such cases over here. You'll hafta figure out how to get that info from Tokyo."

"I was going to call Takagi tomorrow," he replied, rubbing his eyes. "I only just had the idea, so it's a bit late to call him now," There was a pause on the other end. Then,

"You're gettin' enough sleep, right?" he asked, unusually concerned. "I know it's hard, but you can't find her if you don't take care of yourself." Shinichi allowed a tired smile.

"I'm… I'm fine, Hattori. I was just about to get some sleep when the thought hit. I'll go to bed when I get off the phone." Heiji relented, promising him any updates, and hung up. Shinichi plugged his phone back in and sighed. Maybe this would go somewhere. He actually felt good when he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Shinichi called Takagi before heading down for breakfast. He picked up after only the second ring.

"Conan-kun? I was just about to call you!" Shinichi blinked in surprise.

"You were?"

"Yeah. It took a while, but that lead you got? We caught Ran-san on camera entering an alley but not leaving it, and a red minivan leaving the scene. We've got people looking into the alley in question, but after so long I doubt there'll be any evidence left." Shinichi hummed thoughtfully.

"Did you get the license plate of the van?" he asked. There was an exaggerated sigh.

"Yes, but they turned out to be fake," the officer replied. "We followed it for a while on traffic footage, but we lost it somewhere in Shibuya." Shinichi made a mental note of the place and continued listening. "Anyway, I don't know how you figured out that Ran-san went that way, but we're on the lookout now. It's the first real lead we've had, so… thanks." Shinichi smiled.

"I only wish we'd discovered it sooner," he said truthfully. "Anyway, there's another question I'd like to ask that's… unrelated to our case."

"As long as you're not badgering us about Ran-san, anything!"

"Can I get a list of missing persons that have turned back up?" There was a long pause as Takagi processed the question.

"Uh… yyyees," he said, sounding unsure. "Why do you want that?"

"Just a project I'm working on. Also, can you narrow the list down to just the ones who have no memories of the time they were missing?"

"That's… oddly specific, but…" He hesitated. "I can look into it if you promise me two things."

"Shoot."

"Don't tell Megure-keibu, and… please don't call about Ran-san anymore unless you have another lead." Shinichi grinned.

"You've got it," he promised, and Takagi hung up.

With that taken care of, and in a considerably better mood, Shinichi went downstairs to be greeted by pancakes and a glass of milk. His face fell slightly at the lack of coffee, but he straightened up again: he'd gone without coffee before and he could do it again. He startled a bit when he heard Ran _humming _tunelessly in the kitchen.

_I guess being tone deaf is genetic_, he thought, half amused, half sad, because Ran had such a good voice before all of this… this nonsense, regardless of how many times she denied the fact. The humming stopped. Either she realized what she was doing, or she was experimenting without realizing anyone could hear her. There was a sigh, followed by the sound of running water.

Not wanting to disturb her, Shinichi ate in silence, letting his mind wander to the thought he'd had last night and wondering just what would come of it. He wasn't sure which was more frightening: the thought that there might be others this was happening to, or the thought that they were alone in this. Ran came in just as he finished his milk.

"Good morning, Conan-kun!" she said, smiling down at him. "Did you sleep well?" He nodded.

"Yeah, and I called Takagi-keiji. They found the footage of you going in and the van coming out of the alley, so their division's taking over the investigation. They lost track of the van, though."

"That's still good news, though, isn't it?" asked Ran happily as she took Shinichi's dishes. "They're bound to find it again." He nodded enthusiastically and hopped off his chair to get ready for school. Ran smiled at him and disappeared back into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, his smile faded into something more contemplative as he went back upstairs to get ready for the day.

* * *

The remainder of the week yielded similar results: theories danced around in Shinichi's head all day, he'd go to the professor's to be told they had nothing, then he'd return to his house to find a different room sparkling clean, and Ran seemingly okay with everything. When Saturday came around, he was more than ready to tear out his hair in frustration. He'd promised to take Ran shopping for her own clothes to wear, so perhaps being in a different environment would trigger some new ideas.

Shinichi fished around in his closet for an old baseball cap for Ran to help keep people from recognizing her as him, and soon after they departed for the Beika Department Store. When they arrived, Ran looked longingly at the girls' clothes before being pulled towards the men's section by Shinichi. He silently vowed to himself that he'd take her shopping properly once they fixed everything and Ran and Shinichi both were their proper selves.

He supposed the good thing about all this was that Ran occasionally shopped for him, so she already knew his size and wouldn't have to actually try anything on. She sullenly glanced around at the clothes until she found a few geared slightly more towards her taste without being too ostentatious: a pink button-down, a light blue pullover, a red sweater, a few pairs of jeans, among other things. Before they got to the counter, she worriedly pulled Shinichi aside.

"Conan-kun, how are we going to pay for this? My wallet's missing; it's probably with whoever did this to me," she whispered. He put on one of his childish smiles.

"Don't worry, I've been saving the allowance my mom gives me for a while now," he assured her. She gaped at him.

"Conan-kun, I can't take your money!" she exclaimed. "You were saving that for something, right?"

_Not really_, he thought.

"Just books. It's fine, really. Okay Ran-neechan?" She looked down at the clothes in her arms, then back at Shinichi, brows bent, before reluctantly agreeing. He gave her some of his cash, and they checked out. As they were about to leave the building, there was a scream from upstairs. Shinichi jerked his head towards the sound, cursing the timing under his breath.

"Stay here," he said, and before Ran could stop him, he was off like a shot to the floor above. As he leapt up the last two stairs, he rounded the corner and nearly rammed into Sera Masumi. Without stopping to say hello, the two of them rushed towards a small growing crowd of people near the dressing rooms. A woman was standing near one of the rooms, her hands pressed against her mouth to keep more screams from escaping. They slowly inched forward towards the open dressing room until they saw what caused the commotion. A middle-aged man was lying on the floor, hands curled towards his neck, lips blue, completely motionless. Sera moved in to check his pulse, and shook her head.

"Somebody call the police," she said, turning around. "And nobody leave. This man's been murdered."

As they waited for the police to arrive, Shinichi inspected the scene. The first thing he noticed were the scratches on the man's neck. A closer look revealed blood and skin under his fingernails. There was a thin line around his neck, indicating strangulation. He looked around. Where was the murder weapon?

"Say, Conan-kun," said Sera as he continued his search, "what're you doing here?" Shinichi didn't even spare her a glance.

"Isn't it obvious? Of course I came here to shop. Why else would one be at a department store? Why did _you_ come here?" Sera chuckled and scratched her cheek.

"Point taken. But where's your stuff?"

"Downstairs. Look at this strangulation mark," he said, pushing Sera back on track. "It's a bit thin, isn't it?" She leaned in. The sound of patrol cars grew outside.

"Hey, yeah, you're right." She looked around. "Where and what caused that?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll find out. There's a security camera facing this hallway. This could be over fairly quickly." Sera nodded.

"Perhaps we won't be needed. Has there been any news on Ran-kun?" Shinichi glanced up at her. There was genuine concern on her face. He decided to share what the police knew.

"They caught her on camera entering an alley, and a minivan leaving the alley. That's it. It's not much," he offered. He'd rather she didn't know everything. She was… unpredictable, and he wasn't entirely sure how she'd handle that knowledge on top of trying to get him to unmask himself. Thankfully, she seemed to be too concerned with Ran's disappearance to even try catching him slipping. She hummed thoughtfully just as the police came upstairs.

Inspector Megure's frustration at Conan's appearance was very apparent, though he relaxed a tad when the boy didn't press him for details about Ran's case. He and Sera relayed their information, and a quick check of the CCTV footage revealed three people who went into the dressing room area around the time the victim did. While officers were rounding up the suspects, Takagi read out the report so far.

"The victim is Yamada Asao, fifty-three; he owned a loan firm. Cause of death appears to be suffocation by strangulation. The murder weapon is thought to be thinner than a rope, but thicker than a piano wire, and it's nowhere to be found. The lack of a weapon and the claw marks on his neck indicate this was a homicide." He closed his detective pad and faced the inspector. "The CCTV footage indicates three people entered the area around the same time as Yamada: two females, and one male."

"Hmm…" grunted the inspector thoughtfully. "Three suspects and no murder weapon. Perhaps a body check—"

"I don't think so," said Shinichi and Sera in unison. They looked at each other, and Shinichi motioned for the girl to continue. She cleared her throat.

"They've had time to discard the weapon," she explained. "I would check the areas they went to after leaving the dressing rooms." Megure nodded, Takagi taking a note for when they questioned the three suspects. Just then, the other officers came in with said suspects in tow.

The first was a tall, tanned man in his mid-forties, name of Takahashi Fuyoki. He was complaining loudly about being taken in, and when the situation was explained, and the body was revealed, he spat out a "serves him right." He went on to admit he was the deceased's employee, and that Yamada treated his employees like trash.

The second was Matsuda Keiko, a small, timid thing in her mid-twenties. When asked if she knew the victim, she revealed that her brother had taken a loan from him and had been unable to pay him back. She swore that if she'd known he was here today, she would've shopped somewhere else.

The last was Harada Akiko, not much taller than Keiko, early thirties. She was much more vocal about being dragged up here. She revealed that she took a loan from Yamada, and when she'd seen him here, went to ask him for some extra time. She also revealed that the man had kept hinting at an alternative form of payment, much to her obvious disgust.

"Ah-le-le~? All of you have bandages on," said Shinichi innocently. "What happened?"

"Ah, this?" said Takahashi, reaching for the band-aid on his cheek. "Yamada-san tripped me the other day, the bastard, and I fell on my face."

"I cut myself chopping vegetables," said Harada, holding up her finger. "But I don't see how that's relevant."

"I was careless and smashed my hand into a counter corner," said Matsuda quietly, holding up her right hand. "There was a nail sticking out, so it broke the skin." Takagi winced in sympathy.

"Where did you go after leaving this area?" asked Megure.

"What is this— are we being suspected?!" snapped Harada. "I only came to ask for a time extension: it's got nothing to do with me!"

"You had a motive," pointed out Takagi delicately. He flinched when she glared daggers at him. "We just need to know for reference." She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Fine. I went to the restroom. Happy?" A motion from Megure, and an officer went to inspect the area.

"I went to the restaurant a floor up," said Takahashi. "I was waiting for Yamada-san to finish here."

"I didn't like the clothes I got, so I kept shopping," said Matsuda. Two more officers left to check the respective areas.

All three officers came up with nothing. Shinichi hummed thoughtfully to himself, as did Sera.

"We're missing something," Sera murmured, glancing down at Shinichi. He nodded. Then, an idea hit him.

"These hangers… they're wire, aren't they?" he asked slowly. Sera nodded, understanding glinting in her eyes.

"Wanna check the CCTV footage again?" A nod, and they were off.

As it turned out, Matsuda Keiko's right hand was clearly visible on the recorded footage— with no bandage going into the dressing room. Shinichi took note of the dress style, and the two detectives prompted the police to search the hangers with those dresses. They found an oddly bent hanger among them that tested positive for blood both where the man scratched at his neck, and the edge of the hanger; presumably the murderer's blood. Confronted with this evidence, Matsuda broke down and admitted her guilt.

"He killed my brother!" she cried.

"Your brother?"

"Yes, my brother. He committed suicide when he couldn't pay back his loan."

"If he couldn't pay back his loan—" Takagi began.

"If it was just that, I wouldn't have done it," she said, cutting him off. "But I found out that he kept raising the interest rate every time my brother got close to paying him off. He bled him dry, and it killed him! He wasn't a man; he was a demon!"

As Matsuda Keiko was arrested and escorted out of the building, Sera came to stand beside Shinichi.

"You sure your stuff's okay? I know you said it was downstairs, but someone could have taken it."

"Nah, it's fine," he answered as he headed for the stairs. She followed him. "R— er… My cousin's watching it for me." Sera stopped.

"You have a cousin?" she asked incredulously. Shinichi turned and blinked, wide-eyed, up at her.

"You _don't_?" he asked as innocently as he could, adding just a hint of shock.

"… Touche…"

She followed him down the stairs where he bid her goodbye and ran over to where he left Ran. She looked utterly relieved to see him.

"Conan-kun, what kept you? Even the police are here," she said as she glanced out the door at the flashing lights, tugging nervously at her cap.

"Ahaha… Someone was murdered. But we caught the culprit," he said. He snuck a glance back at Sera who stood rooted to the spot several yards away. She was staring hard at Ran and Shinichi. "A-anyway, let's go." Ran nodded, and they left the department store before Sera could get too curious.

When they got back to the Kudo house, a familiar car was parked in the driveway. Shinichi muttered an "aw, great," and Ran involuntarily stiffened beside him. Subaru was back.


	7. Identity Crisis

**Chapter 6: Identity Crisis**

**Author's note: The pronoun "I" has several different forms in Japanese. The standard is "watashi," which Ran uses. "Washi" is what older people, like Agasa use. "Boku" is the boyish version, which Shinichi uses as Conan, but can also be used by tomboys. "Ore" is the masculine version, which is what Shinichi as himself prefers to use.**

* * *

Shinichi led a very stiff Ran towards the front door. When she showed no signs of moving, he whispered up at her, "It's okay. Subaru-san doesn't have Shinichi-niichan's phone number, so he won't attempt to call you, which means Shinichi-niichan won't hear about it." When she still didn't move, he added, "He'll also likely keep to himself." She gave a rigid nod, and Shinichi unlocked the door, leading her inside. As he shut and locked the door again, a surprised Subaru poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Conan-kun? What are you doing here? And who is this?" he asked, coming all the way into the living room. Shinichi felt Ran shift uncomfortably beside him.

"This is Shinichi-niichan, the son of the owners of this house—my distant cousin." Subaru's gaze flicked between the two as he processed this, and Shinichi could see the questions flitting through his mind. He quickly straightened up, though, and held out his hand for Ran to shake. She hesitantly took it.

"I don't believe we've met," he said lightly. "Though I was told that you're incredibly busy, and that I shouldn't expect to see you. I'm Subaru Okiya, by the way."

"…Kudo Shinichi," introduced Ran stiffly. "I—I came back to help search for Ran." Shinichi winced as she stumbled over the word for 'I', switching from the standard 'watashi' to the masculine 'ore' he preferred to use. This did not go unnoticed by Subaru, and the hairs on the back of Shinichi's neck stood on end when he saw the thoughtful gleam in the man's eye.

"It's nice to finally meet you," he said as he let go of Ran's hand. "You probably already know, but your parents have graciously allowed me to stay here for the time being." She nodded. "Well, you needn't worry about me—I've a lot of catching up to do for my engineering classes, since I've been away on personal business. You won't even know I'm here," he finished, smiling. Shinichi briefly wondered if the man actually enjoyed the classes he'd been forced to take to maintain this undercover guise. Subaru turned back to head into the kitchen, but then stopped.

"By the way," he said, glancing back at them. "Were you the one who cleaned the place so beautifully?" Ran gave an awkward laugh.

"Ah, yeah… It's been a while so…"

"I see," he said, turning back around. "It's funny: you didn't exactly strike me as the cleaning sort." Before she could respond, he disappeared back into the kitchen. Ran let out a long breath, placing a hand over her probably racing heart. That posed another problem. Shinichi worriedly looked up at her.

"I know you don't want to," he began quietly, causing her to look down at him, "but you might want to start sleeping in Shinichi-niichan's room. Subaru-san is very observant, so he'll notice if you stay in the guest room." Ran frowned down at him, worry quickly overtaking her features. He knew she wanted to protest, but couldn't think of another solution. She finally gave in and nodded.

"Alright," she said, voice barely a whisper. She set her jaw, determined not to show her discomfort. "Let me… I'll just… put my stuff upstairs." She sighed and headed for the staircase. Shinichi trudged into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. Subaru glanced at him through the kitchen doorway, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

"Is there something I should know?" he asked as he came back into the living room, voice calculating. Shinichi gave him a long, tired look before deciding on an answer.

"Not yet," he sighed, looking moodily up at the ceiling. "Though I've no doubt you'll figure it out without my telling you." He mumbled the last part, though he knew the man heard him. Subaru gave a thoughtful "hmm," and sat down in the chair across from Shinichi, nursing his drink as he observed the boy, eyes glinting with the curiosity detectives seemed to be cursed with. Still, he decided not to press the issue, for which Shinichi was grateful.

"Kudo-san doesn't look very well," he said instead, leaning forward in his seat. Shinichi took his gaze off the ceiling. Ayumi had said the same thing earlier that week.

"It's because Ran-neechan's still missing," he lied. Subaru gave him a measuring look before settling back in his seat, choosing to accept the explanation, though he probably didn't buy it.

"I see," was all he said before going back to his drink. When Ran came back downstairs, he put his glass down on the coffee table and stood up, calling out to her.

"Oh, Kudo-san!" When she didn't respond and kept heading for the kitchen, he repeated the name. She stopped and blinked over at him. He closed the gap between them. "You seem a bit distracted," he observed.

"I guess?" she said, laughing nervously. "I just… I'm just worried, that's all." Despite her earlier slip, she was using the right speech patterns now. Shinichi was thankful she knew him well enough to at least mimic that. "Was there something you wanted?"

"I was just going to ask if you had lunch," said Subaru. "I made some soup earlier that you're more than welcome to." She smiled.

"Thanks," she said, "but maybe later. I'm not really hungry right now." Subaru nodded, and she disappeared into the kitchen. He walked back to where Shinichi was sitting.

"What about you, Conan-kun? Would you like some soup?"

"Sure," he replied as his stomach growled. He hopped off the couch and headed for the dining room.

"But if Kudo-san's not hungry, why did he go into the kitchen?" the older man wondered aloud, following behind Shinichi. The teen hummed thoughtfully.

"He probably went to see if there're any dishes he can wash," he said without really thinking about it.

"Oh? Is he usually this clean? I know I haven't met him, but I've caught a glimpse of his room. The state of it made it seem unlikely he was that sort of person."

_Crap, _thought Shinichi. He quickly turned to flash an innocent smile up at him.

"I'm sure it's just because he's worried about Ran-neechan. He's done everything he can do with the police, so he's probably just restless doing nothing all day." His demeanor was friendly, but his tone said to drop it. Subaru took the hint and didn't ask any more questions, though his smile indicated he'd still be thinking about it.

* * *

A few more days passed without incident. Subaru was true to his word—Ran and Shinichi only caught a few glimpses of him as he headed off to campus in the mornings and came home again to study in the afternoons. Agasa requested to see Ran a few times for testing, which of course always ended with nothing. Ran would cheerily see Shinichi off to school in the mornings, and in the evenings she would already have supper made by the time he got home. Finally, when the elementary school had a half day and Shinichi spent the rest of the afternoon at the professor's, Agasa pulled him aside before he could return to his own house.

"I'm worried about Ran-kun," he said, concern clearly etched on his face. "She hasn't been eating." Shinichi blinked a few times.

"Sure she has," he said. "She always makes enough food for me, her, _and _Subaru-san." Agasa frowned down at him.

"You've been avoiding her," he said sternly. Shinichi glowered up at him.

"I can't help it!" he snapped. "It's just… it's weird watching her move and talk. Besides, that's got nothing to do with this. What makes you think she hasn't been eating?" The professor sighed.

"If you'd bothered to look at her once in a while, you'd see how thin she's gotten." Shinichi raised an eyebrow. Stress could cause that. "Plus, I asked her about it." He blinked, surprised.

"She actually told you she wasn't eating?" A nod. "Why? She's never… _not _eaten before—even when she's nervous, she'll snack on something." Agasa's brow bent with concern and his frown deepened.

"I asked her about that, too. She told me it had something to do with the taste."

"The… taste? What does that mean?" Agasa shook his head.

"I'm not sure. She just said that the taste bothered her," he replied as Haibara emerged from the lab.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, stretching. There were dark circles under her eyes. At their blank stares, she continued. "She means the taste of her mouth."

"Her mouth?" asked Shinichi, confused. "Why would that stop her from eating?"

"Think about it, Kudo-kun," she said as she suppressed a yawn. "She's trapped in a perfect genetic copy of the boy she's liked for God knows how long. While she normally tries not to think about it, eating stimulates the response for taste in the brain, making her hyper aware of how the inside of her mouth tastes: a mouth that doesn't belong to her. It's like she's kissing you without permission. At least, based on her personality, I suspect that's what the problem is." Shinichi's heart sank like lead in water. He hadn't even thought about things like that.

"But… that's…" He struggled to find words.

"Irresponsible?" prompted Haibara. "Indeed, if things keep going this way, she might starve before we can help her." Shinichi's chest went ice cold at those words. He took a step backwards towards the door.

"I'm gonna go check on her," he managed to breathe out before turning and rushing back to his house.

Shinichi searched for Ran downstairs, but only found Subaru in the library, studying. He ventured upstairs. The bathroom door was open, so she wasn't in there. He stuck his head in his room to see if she was resting, but she wasn't there despite agreeing to stay there. He frowned and checked the guest room she used to stay in. There were cleaning supplies just inside the door. He crept into the room. Ran was resting in a chair next to the window, gazing out of it with unseeing eyes. Shinichi took in the unnatural way her clothes hung off her, chest panging with guilt. He took a step forward. Hearing the floor creak, she turned to look at him. He saw a happy mask visibly slide onto her face.

"Oh, Conan-kun! Is it dinner time already?" she asked.

"Not for me," he said softly. " Agasa hakase says you haven't been eating." Her mask slipped a bit at those words.

"I… I can't," she said quietly.

"Because the taste bothers you?" he pressed. She nodded. "Something like that shouldn't stop you from eating," he said firmly.

"It's not," she started, brow creasing. "It's not just the taste." She slid off the chair and sat on her knees to look at him.

"What?"

"It's not just the taste," she repeated, "it's everything. I can _feel_ everything." At this statement, Shinichi tore his gaze from its habitual place on her shoulder and forced himself to look directly into her eyes. There were dark circles under them. "When I sit, when I stand, when I eat, when I sleep, walking, talking; all of my old muscles feel different, and I'm hypersensitive of every new muscle that I didn't have before." She stared at her hands, trembling. "I can feel things girls were never meant to feel," she continued shakily, "and I don't… I can't… stop it. It's… it just… isn't _fair…_ to Shinichi… or to me. It's too personal, too invasive. We haven't even… We haven't even…" She choked, unable to continue, eyes clenched shut as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

A numbness crept over Shinichi as he listened to her speak. Watching his own face making such foreign expressions was mortifying, but he didn't dare look away. Ran's original face flashed across his mind as he stared at her, and something inside of him snapped. Somehow…. This was his fault. She was hurting because of him. She was hurting and he needed to fix it. Before he even knew what he was doing, his mouth opened.

"If… Shinichi-niichan… said it's okay… how would you feel?" Ran swallowed a sob and blearily stared at him.

"Huh?"

"If… if _I _said…it's okay," he said as he took off his glasses, switching to his preferred pronoun, "would you feel better?"

Rational thought caught up to him as he realized what he'd just done. He could only watch helplessly as Ran's expression changed as she put the pieces together.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, her bleary eyes cleared up as she stared at him, confusion and disbelief etched into her features. He could see the wheels turning in her mind as realization slowly crept over her face. This quickly gave way to horror and the color drained from her face.

"Y-you're joking, right?" she asked, mouth twitching. "You have to be joking!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "You _can't _be Shinichi! Say you're not him! _Say it!_" Resigned to his fate, Shinichi could only give her a sad, regret-filled look.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Ran recoiled, jerking her hands back as if he had burned them. She fearfully gazed down at him, chin quivering. Fear quickly turned to rage, however, and he could practically see flames licking her body as her shoulders shook. She raised a hand, preparing to strike him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow… but it never came. He cracked an eye open.

Ran had frozen, hand still poised to strike, her expression a mixture of fear and uncertainty. She clenched her teeth and raised her hand higher to try again, but stopped. She closed her eyes and balled her fist as she slowly brought her hand back down, trembling. She couldn't do it. A tiny, strangled cry escaped her lips as she covered her face with her hands. Shinichi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to gently lay a hand on her shoulder. She immediately tensed up and jerked away.

"Ran…"

"Get out."

"I—"

"_GET. OUT._"

Shinichi stared at her a moment longer before slowly turning to leave, feeling very heavy. As he closed the door, he glanced through it just in time to see Ran grab a pillow off the bed. Once closed, he pressed his back against the frame and shakily slid down it as he heard Ran's muffled screams through her pillow.

"…Shit…"


	8. Explanations and Mitigations

**Chapter 7: Explanations and Mitigations**

**Sincerest apologies, dear readers, for the unseemly delay. My husband and I found ourselves unexpectedly having to move to another city, so the past month has been extremely hectic and stressful. As such, I will also be busy for a few more weeks while we finish moving everything and settling in, so I may find myself unable to write during that time. Apologies again for the wait, and thank you for understanding.**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," said Haibara as she massaged her temples. "In an attempt to get Ran-san to eat, you revealed your identity _while she was having a mental breakdown._" Shinichi winced.

"I… I couldn't think of anything else to do—and when I saw her like that, I just…" He waved his hand as if that explained his actions.

"…And? Where is she now?"

"In the guest room, hopefully sleeping. I came over here an hour after the screams stopped," he said shakily, looking down at the glasses he still held in his hands. Haibara sighed.

"Guaranteed: if she didn't have an appetite before, she _definitely _won't have one now. So? What did you come over here for? I can't dig you out of this hole."

"… I was… hoping for an antidote," he ventured. She gaped at him. "Y'know, so she can… so she can hit me without feeling bad about it," he added quickly. Haibara recovered and gave him a flat stare.

"No."

"But—"

"You really are stupid when it comes to others' feelings," she spat, cutting him off. "That girl was going through an existential crisis, _which you made worse, _by the way," she said as he tried to splutter an excuse, "and now you think it's a good idea to show up in front of her as your original self before she's had any time to recover? I don't think so. You made this mess—you clean it up." And with that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the lab, slamming the door behind her. Shinichi sighed.

"No good, huh?" he muttered. He looked up at the professor, who'd been silent the entire time. "Any ideas?" He looked helplessly down at the teen.

"I'm afraid not," he said apologetically.

"Might I make a suggestion?" came a voice from the door, startling the two. Shinichi quickly put his glasses back on and turned around. Subaru was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. "Women tend to be more susceptible to forgiveness if the apology is accompanied by a home-cooked meal." Shinichi gave him a long, tired stare before answering.

"You discovered it quicker than I expected," he commented, too drained to attempt an excuse. Agasa gaped at them.

"There were a lot of tells," Subaru admitted. "Starting with that slip of the tongue when we met. She's extremely rigid and uncertain when she speaks to me—a far cry from the confident know-it-all Ran-san herself used to tell me about. That, and I've seen Ran-san clean enough times to recognize the way she moves, even if she's a little off balance. I'm not sure what happened, but if you want to pass her off as Kudo Shinichi, she needs to be a little more mindful of her actions when others are present."

"Well, we don't know what happened, either," huffed Shinichi. "I didn't tell you because it's safer if no one knows about it." The man smiled apologetically.

"For what it's worth, I wasn't actively trying to figure it out," he admitted. "But then, she wasn't actively trying to hide it either. Back to my original point, though: she'll be more likely to eat something if it's made by someone she cares for."

"You came over here to tell me that?"

"I came over here because I was concerned about how thin she's gotten, and I knew she wouldn't listen to me if I brought it up," said Subaru. Agasa finally recovered from his initial shock, and spoke up.

"… How long have you been there?" he asked. Subaru gave another apologetic smile.

"I followed him in," he said, pointing at Shinichi. "He didn't respond when I called out to him to discuss Ran-san's health, so I went after him. No one seems to have noticed me, though: you were all too preoccupied, I suppose." Shinichi groaned. It's not as if Subaru didn't already suspect who he was… It was just easier for him not to tell the man. "You don't have to give me any details if you don't want to—I won't ask. Perhaps next time, though, you'll be a little more mindful of who's in the room before holding that kind of discussion." Shinichi relaxed a bit, sending him a thankful glance.

"And?" he prompted. "Ran's in a foul mood: she's unlikely to want anything to do with me, let alone eat my food, especially since I can't cook."

"Yes, I suspect she'll still be in a bad mood when she wakes up; but if she cares for you as much as I think she does, it won't last long. As for the latter: I can help with that."

xXx

Shinichi ventured into Ran's room with a bottle of cold water under his arm. The room was dark, the only light streaming in through the window as the sun was setting. There was a lump on the bed where Ran lay. He took a moment to ready himself before approaching the bed. She was facing the window, so he strode around the bed to that side and peered at her face. As he expected, her eyes were raw and swollen, her brows knitted together in an unrestful sleep. He cleared his throat as he thought about what he might say, but she woke up at the sound. She frowned at him.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked, voice a hoarse whisper. A pang of guilt tugged at Shinichi's chest, but he shoved it down. He offered her the water bottle.

"At the very least," he said, mouth dry," I owe you an explanation." Clearly not expecting that response, Ran blinked and slowly sat up. She suspiciously eyed the bottle but took it from him without a word. He took a shaky breath, and waited for some indication he could start. She took a drink of the cold water and nodded at him, but did not speak.

Shinichi took a deep breath and, starting with the day of the roller coaster, laid out the story for her. He told her about the men in black, about how close he'd come to a proper antidote, about keeping her in the dark. Ran's eyes grew wider and wider as he went on—or as wide as the swollen things _could_ be—until her expression was shocked and dismayed as opposed to angry, bitter, and betrayed. There was silence for a few minutes as she processed his words. Finally, she spoke.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" she asked, voice not so much angry as disappointed. "Couldn't you trust me?"

"I just… I just wanted you to be safe," he said helplessly.

"Does this look _safe_ to you?" Ran snapped, angrily glaring at him, gesturing at herself. Shinichi winced. "Even if it wasn't the same organization, don't you think I would have been more careful about taking shortcuts if I'd known that kind of danger was in Beika?" Shinichi looked down at his slippers. She continued.

"It sounds like these guys would have killed me regardless of what I knew, simply because you decided to stay with us" she said, voice stern. She gave him a sharp look, and after a moment let out a big, exasperated sigh.

"I want to hate you _so much_," she said quietly, "but I can't." Shinichi looked up at her. She was eyeing him warily, disappointment still clearly there, but the anger was gone. She slipped off the bed and onto her knees in front of him. Her chin wavered, threatening more tears, just before she threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly he thought he might suffocate.

The crushing weight that had a hold of Shinichi's heart since telling her the truth finally lifted. One by one, muscles that he didn't realize were tense relaxed. Then, with elation, he realized that Ran was hugging _him._ She was hugging Shinichi, and not Conan. With this thought, he melted into the hug, resting his head in the crook of her neck and closing his eyes. She was trembling.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I almost told you so many times, but… I just couldn't." He lifted his arms in a pitiful attempt at reciprocating the hug, trapped by Ran's embrace. She loosened up long enough for him to slip his small arms around her neck, and then she tightened her arms again.

"I'm so scared," she finally choked out, still trembling. "I don't know what to do." Shinichi rubbed her back rhythmically for a moment before answering.

"Right now," he whispered gently, "try to relax. It won't do either of us any good if you suffocate me." At that, Ran quickly let go of him, blushing furiously. He bit back his disappointment, reminding himself of the situation at hand.

Shinichi studied Ran's gaunt face as the euphoria of the moment ebbed away. He felt as if he was staring at his own ghost: the pale, thin thing she had become, a haunting addition to the room. It was rather fitting in a dark, humorless way, considering he was meant to be dead. He shook off these thoughts as the scent of food wafted in through the open door, signaling it was finished cooking. Ran's empty stomach loudly complained, making her flush an even deeper red. He held out his hand.

"Let's fix that," he said as she took his hand and attempted to lever herself up off the floor. He lamented the fact that he was too small to help her up properly. Ran followed him out of the room, squinting as the hallway light irritated her raw eyes.

When they got to the dining room, Shinichi firmly instructed her to sit, and then moved to the kitchen to check the stove. Just in time. He ladled the stew into two bowls and brought them back to the dining room, setting them down on the table. He went back a second time to fetch two glasses of ice water. Once back in the dining room, hands free of glasses, he climbed into the chair next to Ran, who was warily eyeing the food in front of her.

"Eat," he instructed.

"But—"

"No buts! We can't help you if you starve first! Please just ignore those… sensations… and just eat _something!_ You don't have to eat all of it." Obviously conflicted, Ran stared down at the bowl in front of her, back at Shinichi, and again at the bowl.

"… You made this?" she asked quietly. He nodded. She picked up the spoon with a shaky hand. Her stomach growled again, deciding for her. She took a slow mouthful, closing her eyes almost painfully as the stew heightened the taste of her mouth. Shinichi watched in melancholic fascination. It had never occurred to him that the inside of the mouth had flavor and sensations, much less that it was different for every person. He guessed that before this it hadn't occurred to Ran, either. Regardless, it was something she desperately needed to get used to.

When he was sure she was going to continue eating, he started on his own stew. He couldn't hold a candle to Ran's cooking, but he felt a sense of pride that it was more than just edible. He would have to thank Subaru for the tips and pointers later.

After a few minutes, he glanced back at Ran's bowl and was delighted to see that she had eaten most of it. She seemed to be making a point not to look at him while she ate, face still red. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now, and he briefly wondered if he'd feel the same if he was trapped in her body. Try as he might, he couldn't put himself in her shoes; his mind was just too logical to panic the same way she did.

As Ran slowly nursed her water, she stared intently at the grain of the table. Her eyes wandered to Shinichi once or twice before quickly flicking back to the table, cheeks flushing deeper each time. So it was finally sinking in. Shinichi took a sip of his own water to wet his lips before speaking up.

"I'd imagine that you have a plethora of questions," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words. "I'm prepared to answer them. No more secrets. No more lies," he vowed gravely. Ran blinked a few times, staring at him in surprise.

"… Any questions?" she asked slowly. He nodded. She almost looked relieved. She pondered for a bit before turning back to him.

"So… Ai-chan is like you?" A nod. "So… you and… you and her…" She floundered for words. Shinichi snorted, almost choking on his drink.

"It's not like that, honest," he said after he recovered. "She's a scientist. She's actually the one who created the drug that did this to me."

"_What?!_" He held up his hands.

"I don't know what they were researching, but she swears it wasn't meant to be used as a poison. That was Gin's idea when it was discovered that it only killed, with a few incredibly rare side effects." He looked at his hands. "If Gin had known about the side effects, I'm sure he would have stayed to make sure I died." He laughed bitterly at the thought before clearing his throat and meeting Ran's pity-filled gaze.

"But she's on our side now?" He nodded again.

"She betrayed them when she found out they killed her sister. Apparently, she was researching the same thing her parents were researching before they died, with the understanding that her sister was to be protected." He sighed. "But… her sister thought that they'd let Haibara go if she did some of their dirty work, and was killed for her troubles." Ran was silent for a long time before changing the subject.

"What's it like?" she asked.

"What?"

"When you… change. What's it like?" He regarded her for a long, painful moment. He'd just promised no more lies, but he didn't really want her to worry. His promise won out.

"It's… painful. Like my bones are melting, and my heart feels like it's going to burst. A lot like being poisoned, actually," he said with a morbid chuckle. At Ran's mortified expression, he added, "which is why I don't take the antidote very often. It's only temporary, anyway, and it loses effectiveness every time I take it."

"That's why you only called," she realized. He nodded apologetically.

"I hated lying to you. I really did," he offered.

"To keep me safe," she said in a flat tone. "… I wish you'd told me." A surge of anger rose up from the pit of Shinichi's stomach.

"I said I was sorry," he snapped. "And what about you? Weren't you the one who made Conan promise not to tell Shinichi you were like this?" Ran shrank back at the sharpness of his words.

"T-That's different!" she exclaimed. "I… I was going to tell you, but… I just… wasn't ready." Her voice grew quiet as she finished, and Shinichi instantly regretted his words when he saw tears pricking her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to snap at you. What's important is that the truth is out." She nodded, wiping her eyes. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand, elbow on the table. "Did you have any more questions for me?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

"… Who else knows about you?" she asked cautiously. He sighed. This was the question he'd been waiting for.

"Well, I told Agasa," he said, stating the obvious first. She nodded. "And even though he told me not to tell anyone, he's the one who told my parents." She quirked an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. "Hattori found out on his own." She frowned, probably remembering all of the slips out of the Osakan's mouth. "Kaito Kid probably knows, but he hasn't said anything. Vermouth—she's one of the men in black—" He elected not to tell her that it was Chris/Sharon Vinyard. Ran's eyebrows raised so high they disappeared behind her bangs. "For some reason, she's kept that fact a secret from them. Subaru-san found out today, due to an accident on my part. Or… I guess he confirmed it, because I'm pretty sure he suspected for a while. And…" He hesitated. "And… Hondou Eiskuke knows…"

"_What?!"_ she exclaimed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I… kinda told him when he wanted Kudo Shinichi's permission to ask you out…" Heat flooded his cheeks, and he knew his face must be red. Ran blinked in surprise.

"Eisuke-kun did?" She gave him a dry stare. "And you revealed yourself over that?"

"In my defense, it turned out that he already knew, and riled me up specifically to verify it." Even now, his blood boiled just thinking about it.

"Heeeeh… Eisuke-kun's that sharp, huh? You really can't tell…" She seemed impressed. Shinichi frowned.

"Are you gonna start pining after him?" he asked a bit too sharply. Ran frowned, side-eyeing him.

"Is that really any of your business?" she snapped. "You already took it upon yourself to make that decision for me, didn't you?" Shinichi clamped his mouth shut and stared down into his water glass. "Can you not trust me to make my own decisions?" she asked a bit more softly, but still clearly irritated.

"I… I'm sorry," he muttered, eyes still glued to the glass. The grain of the table warped through the glass and the water, reflecting his currently twisting stomach. "I just…" He looked helplessly up at her. "W-when it comes to you, I just get so…" Pink blossomed across Ran's cheeks.

"… Jealous?" she prompted. He looked back down and nodded.

"I… I meant what I said in London." He looked back up at her, determined. "I still do." Ran's eyes widened and she regarded him for a few moments before her expression twisted into something painful.

"What… what if we can't fix this?" she whispered shakily. "What then?" Shinichi reached out and gently grabbed her hand. He squeezed it.

"I'll still be here," he replied. "I promise." She gaped at him, a few tears escaping down her face. She wiped them away with her free hand, face turning a darker red as she looked down, studying Shinichi's too small hand on top of her too big one.

"Really?"

"Really." He smiled up at her and squeezed her hand again. Ran shakily reciprocated the smile, eyes watery, and his heart swelled. "Really," he repeated gently. He meant it.


	9. Visit from the West

**Chapter 8: Visit from the West**

**Writing at a snails pace still counts as writing, right?**

* * *

After eating, Shinichi informed Ran that Subaru was aware of the situation, so she didn't need to stay in his room anymore. She grimaced and mumbled out an apology for her inability to conceal her habits, which of course he waved off. It was only a matter of time, anyway. He encouraged her to get some sleep, and they both headed upstairs to get ready for bed. As Shinichi neared the top of the staircase, his phone rang. He ushered Ran into her room before answering it.

"Conan-kun?"

"Ah—Takagi-keiji!" he shifted the phone to his other ear. "Did you find anything?" A pause.

"Er… yes and no," he said. Shinichi waited. "We still don't have any updates on the minivan, but I did manage to narrow down that list you asked for to about… nine people, I think it was. I'm emailing the list to you now." Shinichi hummed.

"Was there anything… strange about any of them?" he asked.

"I… Strange like what?"

"Like…" He struggled to find words. "Did… any one of them claim to be someone else?"

"Uh… no? Conan-kun, what's this about?" asked Takagi, concern tinting his voice. Shinichi's phone buzzed against his ear.

"Nothing, nothing! Just curious," said Shinichi, trying to play the question off as inconsequential. "Listen, I gotta go: it's bed time. Thanks for the info." He hung up before the man could protest. Shinichi let out a long sigh as he checked his phone. There was Takagi's email and… it looked like Heiji messaged him, too. He opened the messenger.

_Kudo: narrowed it down to six people, _it read. Another buzz indicated an email from the Osakan: probably the list of people. He quickly typed up a response.

_Did any of them say they were someone else?_

Almost immediately, Heiji responded with, _No. What kinda question is that?_ Shinichi rolled his eyes but didn't respond. Instead, he turned to face the door to his room. Since both Ran and Subaru knew who he was, he could sleep in his own room without worry. He walked in and closed the door before rushing to the bed. He climbed up and shoved his face into the pillow, sighing contentedly. His room, his bed… the only thing missing was a permanent antidote. His phone pinged at him a few times—probably Heiji demanding an answer—before he drifted off to sleep.

When Shinichi came downstairs the next morning, he was greeted by a plate of scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee. He blinked, the events of yesterday slowly coming back to him.

_That's right, _he thought. _She knows, now. _He eyed the coffee appreciatively before looking around. Ran was nowhere in sight, and even the kitchen was quiet. He frowned, poking his head in the kitchen. Empty, save for a half eaten plate of eggs. At least she was eating… he shrugged it off and returned to his breakfast. She was probably in the bathroom or something.

Once he finished eating, he began to plan the course of the day while he nursed his coffee. With two lists of people under his belt, he'd need to start looking into each one. Find an address, plan when he would go to see them directly so he could ask questions the police wouldn't know to ask. It wasn't until he returned to the kitchen with his empty dishes that he wondered where Ran was. She didn't usually leave unwashed dishes in the sink, but there were a few. He hummed thoughtfully as he placed his dishes in the sink, and then poked his head into the living room.

"Found you," he murmured. She was curled up on the couch, eyes closed. Was she sleeping? "Ran?" No answer. Asleep, then. He strode over to the couch and shook her shoulder, softly calling her name. Her eyes slowly opened and took a moment to focus. They were still puffy from yesterday, the dark circles still there.

"Shinichi?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Must've dozed off," she mumbled groggily.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. She slowly nodded.

"… Yeah… I… I had a lot to process," she said, stifling a yawn. Guilt once again tugged at his chest, but it wasn't as severe as before. He should have expected this—it _was_ a lot to take in. He checked his watch.

"I have to leave soon," he said apologetically. "Still gotta keep up the façade." He spoke with more bitterness than he'd intended, causing Ran's brows to bend slightly in sympathy. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you still need to sleep, I suggest doing it in bed—you'll catch a cold here." Before she could respond, he gave her a little wave before heading off to the professor's to meet the other children. Once at Agasa's, Haibara confronted him.

"Well?" she asked. "How is she?"

"Better—she's started eating, at least," he said in a tired voice. She nodded approvingly.

"No doubt she now knows about me," she said without emotion as she packed up her backpack. Shinichi nodded, and she sighed. "I suppose there really wasn't any other option once your secret got out. And right now, it's not as if she can tell anyone." She was talking to herself now, reassuring herself that she was still safe, at least for the time being. He decided to change the subject.

"I'll need you to cover for me with the kids—there's something I need to look into after school." She raised an eyebrow. "A possible lead," he elaborated. She nodded.

"Alright. I suppose I can play with them by myself for a day," she said. Shinichi shot her a grateful look just as the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the children. "Anything I should know about?" she asked as she moved towards the door.

"I'll let you know if I find something," he replied. She nodded and opened the door, three eager children spilling inside.

"Good morning Ai-chan!" chirped Ayumi. Haibara smiled.

"Good morning," she said softly. Genta and Mitsuhiko beamed at her. "Did something good happen?"

"It's Friday," Genta announced proudly. Shinichi and Haibara blinked a few times, waiting for an explanation.

"We were thinking," began Mitsuhiko, "that since it's the start of the weekend, maybe we could go to the park today." Haibara opened her mouth to speak, but Ayumi piped up first.

"We know Ran-oneesan is still missing," she said quietly, "but… it's just for the weekend. Agasa-hakase is more than enough to keep watch, right?" Shinichi's shoulders slumped a bit at the three's eagerness and desperation to play with their friends.

"It doesn't have to be the park," said Genta. "We could walk around the neighborhood and solve cases, right?" Mitsuhiko nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! We might even find a clue about Ran-oneesan's disappearance."

Shinichi guiltily averted his gaze while the children threw out ideas. Haibara finally stepped in and saved him from answering.

"Let's talk while we walk to school," she said quietly. "We don't want to be late." The children all chirped in agreement, their tones hopeful, and they all set out for school. Shinichi glanced over at his house as he left, hoping Ran would at least get a few hours of sleep. His thoughts were pushed aside as Ayumi addressed him.

"How about it, Conan-kun?" she asked. "What do you want to do?" He floundered for an excuse when Haibara once again stepped in.

"I'm afraid Edogawa-kun will be unable to join us this time," she said smoothly, "as he has preexisting plans with Kudo-san."

"EEEH?!" the three exclaimed in disappointment.

"Just cancel those plans!" said Genta angrily. Shinichi held up a hand.

"I can't," he said. "I already promised last week that I'd assist Shinichi-niichan this time." Ayumi frowned deeply.

"If you promised I guess there's nothing for it," she said softly. Mitsuhiko crossed his arms.

"What does a famous high school detective even want with a first grader, anyway?" he said, tone accusational.

"You mean besides the fact that they're related?" asked Haibara coolly.

"They are?"

"Distantly," amended Shinichi. "But anyway, Shinichi-niichan told me there's things children hear and places they can go that aren't easily accessible to adults. He thinks I can help with his investigation."

"In that case, he should have asked _all _of the Detective Boys," pouted Mitsuhiko.

"I-I'll ask him about it this evening," said Shinichi, laughing nervously. "Maybe he'll have something for you in the future." This seemed to appease the children, and the rest of the walk to school consisted of talk about homework, Kamen Yaiba, and high hopes for the promised detective work from Shinichi. The shrunken teen sighed, wondering exactly what sort of work he could give them that could keep them out of trouble and still yield results for his investigation. By the time they arrived at the school, they'd come up with a fantastical spy thriller plot that had Shinichi deeply sighing in resignation. They'd be sorely disappointed with whatever he came up with.

"All that aside," said Haibara as they reached the classroom, "the park sounds lovely. I'm just sorry Edogawa-kun will miss out on all of the fun we're going to have." She gave him a 'you owe me' smile, causing Shinichi to force a grin back at her in response. It would probably be some expensive brand-name purse.

Once again, all day at school, Shinichi's mind wasn't with his classes. It was brimming over with excitement at the prospect of this possible lead, despite having to remind himself that it would most likely lead to a dead end. Thankfully, though, he was not reprimanded by his teacher for not paying attention this time.

Once class ended, he parted ways with the children as they excitedly headed for the park. He hurried back to his house, impatient to get started. As he opened the door, he was greeted by the scent of beef stew. His stomach growled—an irritating sign that he would have to delay the start of his research. He sighed as he passed Subaru in the doorway. He looked up at the man, and then down at his watch.

"Aren't classes over…?" he asked. Subaru nodded.

"Yes, but I've got a lab project to finish, which can't be moved from the university," he explained as he stepped out of the door. "I'll likely not be back till early tomorrow morning." Then he left before Shinichi could respond. The teen almost felt guilty. Almost, but Subaru actually seemed to enjoy the extra work, so he put it out of his mind.

Venturing into the kitchen, Shinichi found Ran leaning over a large pot as she carefully ladled the stew into two bowls. He suppressed a shiver at the sight of his body moving like Ran. _Not important_, he thought, reminding himself that she wasn't moving "like Ran": she _was _Ran. He cleared his throat, startling her. Thankfully, she'd already put the bowls down on the counter.

"Ah, sorry—did I scare you?"

"N-no," she said as she quickly glanced at him. "Just surprised. Dinner's already ready." She picked the bowls back up and headed into the dining room, Shinichi trailing behind. He climbed into his seat as she placed the bowls before she turned back to get their drinks. He noted there was already rice at the table. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered the routine he'd fallen into at the Mouris' house. She returned quickly, setting down the glasses of water as she slowly took her own seat. Just like yesterday, she mostly kept her gaze averted, silently eating her dinner.

"I've got some research to do after dinner," said Shinichi casually.

"Research?"

"I've got a list of people who disappeared and reappeared two weeks later with no memory of their time gone." Ran's spoon slipped from her hand.

"There're others like me?"

"Possibly. None of them are claiming to be someone else. Publicly, that is. So I need to find their addresses and question them myself. I've got nine to look into here in Tokyo, and six more in Osaka. There are probably more in other cities, but I don't exactly have access to other police forces."

"Fifteen people," she said thoughtfully. "That's an awful lot."

"And it looks like this goes back a few years," said Shinichi as he absently stirred his stew a bit before taking a mouthful. "We just don't know that it's pertinent to our case yet." Despite the uncertainty, Ran's eyes sparkled with hope, and Shinichi just wished this didn't lead to a dead end.

After dinner, Shinichi excused himself, disappearing upstairs to his room while Ran washed and put away the dishes. Once she finished, she headed upstairs herself. As She reached the top, a knock echoed downstairs. She frowned and headed to Shinichi's room, standing awkwardly in the doorway. He was sitting at his computer, already pulling up different web pages.

"Shinichi, there's someone at the door," she called nervously. Shinichi looked over, pausing his research.

"You should probably answer it," he said. Before she could complain, he added, "It'll look weird if I answer it. Just tell whoever it is it's not a good time, and send them away." He turned back to his computer, not giving her a say in the matter. She sighed as another knock resonated in the air, and she reluctantly headed downstairs, sucking in a breath as she prepared for the encounter. She looked at the intercom and grimaced as she realized whoever was knocking had bypassed the gate.

"Hello," she began as she opened the door, preparing to shoo away the unwanted visitor as politely as possible. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Kudo?" Hattori Heiji was at the door, looking almost as shocked as Ran did. He eyed her up and down. "Geez, ya coulda warned me," he mumbled. "Y'look like shit," he added as an afterthought as he attempted to push his way past the door. Ran kept her weight against it.

"W-what are you doing here?" she managed to squeak out.

"Cold as usual," he muttered, leaning casually against the frame. "The prof said ya were over here. I wanted t'compare notes, an' frankly, yer last text kinda weirded me out, so I wanted t'see how ya were holdin' up." Ran blinked a few times, trying to sort out what to say, when she noticed a shadow behind Heiji. Before she could do anything, he forcefully pushed past the door, another person coming in close behind him.

"This idiot came, too. Sorry 'bout that," he said, more as an afterthought than an apology. Ran took a few steps back, not sure what to do.

"K-Kazuha-chan…" Kazuha stuck her tongue out at the dark skinned detective before turning an inquisitive eye in Ran's direction.

"Kudo-kun?" She stopped and her brow knitted together. "Are ya okay? Y'look really pale."

"Of course he's not okay: his girl's missin'!"

"I…" Ran stiffly looked from the Osakans to the door. "Th-this… really isn't a good time," she said, voice cracking. Heiji let out a dry laugh.

"If you think for one second," he started, voice rising in irritation, "that y'can get rid of us after we came all this way t'cheer ya up, yer sorely mistaken!" He slammed the door shut to emphasize his point while Kazuha tried to pacify him.

"Well, we _did _come uninvited," she was saying as panic set in, rooting Ran to the spot. "If he really doesn't want us here, we should leave."

"Screw that! He's just being an ass as usual," scoffed Heiji, turning to scrutinize who he thought was Shinichi. "Ain't that right, you ungrateful little…" He trailed off as he saw just how terrified Ran's expression was. He frowned as he looked her up and down, taking in her stance. She squirmed under his sharp gaze, and his eyes narrowed.

"Yer not Kudo," he said, taking a defensive step back. His accusatory glare was nothing short of venomous. Kazuha blinked, confused.

"Heiji?"

"Who the hell are you?!" he demanded just as Shinichi entered the room to see what the commotion was.

"Yer actin' weird, Heiji! It's just Kudo-kun!" Kazuha said. Before Shinichi had any time to act, Heiji bellowed,

"THAT CAN'T BE KUDO BECAUSE KUDO IS RIGHT THERE!" He violently pointed a finger at the shrunken teen.

All eyes were on Shinichi now, as stunned silence filled the air. Heiji blinked a few times before slapping a hand over his mouth.

"K-k-kiddo! I meant kiddo! Right, C-Conan-kun?" he stammered out, attempting to salvage his slip while Shinichi glared daggers at him. Kazuha looked utterly unimpressed.

"I ain't stupid," she said as her eyes narrowed. "You clearly just called him Kudo." She stared at Shinichi. "An' this ain't the first time ya've done it, either."

"W-wha—" Heiji sputtered. Shinichi could see the wheels straining in his head as he tried to come up with a good excuse.

"Forget it, Hattori," he sighed, dropping all child-like pretenses. "You can't clean up after this mess." Kazuha's eyes widened in surprise as he walked past them towards Ran. "Maybe I should just put a sign on my head." He gave Ran an irritated glare. "Why didn't you get rid of them?" he half hissed, snapping Ran out of her shocked stupor.

"I tried to—he forced his way in," she explained, tone apologetic.

"You…" Kazuha started, a bit confused. "If yer Kudo, then who's that?" she asked incredulously.

"That's what _I've _been askin'," Heiji barked in agitation. Ran winced at the aggressiveness of their tones, and Shinichi glared at them for a moment before answering. He discreetly grabbed Ran's hand and squeezed it.

"This," he said, expression softening slightly, "This is… is Ran." Ran stared down at her slippers as the two Osakans simultaneously gave a start.

"_WHAT?!_"

Ran bit her lip and frowned as she tried in vain to will down the embarrassed flush that was creeping up her face. Heiji stood, stunned, for a full minute before laughing nervously.

"Alright, Kudo, really, who is this?" Shinichi gave him a flat stare, opting to remain silent. When he didn't acknowledge that he was joking, the grin faded from Heiji's face. "Yer not kiddin'," he whispered shakily. Shinichi shook his head.

"_How?!_" asked Kazuha in dismay.

"We don't know yet," said Shinichi as he let go of Ran's hand and crossed his arms. "We just know that _somehow_, her DNA is actually mine." Heiji's mouth hung open for a moment before stupor turned to rage, and he turned his fury onto the small teen.

"_Why didn't you tell me?!_" he shouted, angry at having been left in the dark. "Didn't ya think I could help ya?" Shinichi sighed.

"Its because you're too impulsive," he replied. "I didn't want you in on this until I was certain I couldn't do this myself."

"But I'm yer best bud!" Heiji protested. "Why would ya keep me out of the loop?!"

"Why? So you could bust your way in without a lead and make Ran uncomfortable like you're doing right now? Even if I'd told you, you wouldn't have believed me right away, anyway," he said in a flat tone. Heiji winced a bit, sheepishly glancing up at Ran. He shivered involuntarily and turned away.

"Fine, fine, I get yer point," he said, waving his hand.

_Do you?_ thought Shinichi irritably. He sighed.

"Guess I should've expected this," he muttered. "Especially after asking that question last night." Heiji straightened up.

"Y'know," he started, face serious, "I might not'a come if ya'd explained yerself. Ya come up with fake excuses all the time, right?"

"Tell me, honestly, would you really have stayed away if I _had _come up with a dismissal to that question?"

"… No…"

Ran and Kazuha silently watched the back and forth not-quite-bickering. Kazuha slowly inched her way over to Ran, stopping just beside her. She took her eyes off of the detectives and cast a worried glance at Ran's face. Feeling her gaze, Ran looked up, greeting Kazuha's eyes with her own, albeit briefly. She quickly looked down again, uncomfortable.

"Yer really… Ran-chan…?" A nod was the only answer given, though a heavy weight traveled on that gesture. Before more could be said, Shinichi threw his hands up in an attempt to end the argument Heiji had started.

"_Fine,_" he said loudly enough that the girls redirected their attention to him. "If you'll quit complaining, I'll tell you what I know so far!" They could almost _feel _the triumphant grin Heiji was so poorly trying to suppress.


End file.
